Michael Roberts

Michael R. Roberts is the The William H. Lawrence Professor and Professor of Finance at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, a Research Associate of the National Bureau of Economic Research, and an affiliate of the Institute for Law and Economics and the Wharton Financial Institutions Center at the University of Pennsylvania. He also founded and heads the Wharton Financial Analytics initiative.

Professor Roberts’ research spans corporate finance, banking, and investments. Recent work has examined equity pricing anomalies, collateralized loan obligation (CLO) performance, and machine learning in investment banking. His research has received several awards including two Brattle Prizes for Distinguished Paper published in the Journal of Finance, a Jensen Prize for best paper on Corporate Finance and Organizations published in the Journal of Financial Economics, and Best Paper awards from the Financial Management Association, Southwestern Finance Association, Rodney L. White Center for Financial Research, and Jacobs-Levy Equity Management Center for Quantitative Financial Research. Professor Roberts has served on numerous journal editorial boards, including the Journal of Finance of which he was a co-editor.

In addition to his research, Professor Roberts is an acclaimed teacher. At the Wharton School, his accolades include the David W. Hauk Award, five Excellence in Teaching Awards, and multiple nominations for the Helen Kardon Moss Anvil Teaching Award. While at Duke University, he won the Daimler-Chrysler Core Teaching Award at the Fuqua School of Business. He has taught undergraduate, M.B.A., Ph.D., and executive education courses in Finance, Economics, Statistics, and Data Analytics. Outside of academia, Professor Roberts has worked as a financial engineer and consultant, providing services to many financial and nonfinancial corporations as well as expert testimony in corporate legal matters.

Professor Roberts earned his B.A. in Economics from the University of California at San Diego, and his M.A. in Statistics and Ph.D. in Economics from the University of California at Berkeley.

Awards and Honors

• Jensen Prize – First place paper on corporate finance and organizations published in the Journal of Financial Economics, 2016 Description
• Helen Kardon Moss Anvil Teaching Award, Nominee, The Wharton School, 2015
• Core Curriculum Teaching Award, The Wharton School, 2015
• Marshall E. Blume Prize – First Place, 2014
• Greener Family Fellowship, The Wharton School, 2013
• Jacobs Levy Equity Management Center for Quantitative Financial Research Fellowship, The Wharton School, 2013
• Rising Stars of Finance, 2012
• Financial Research Associate, Best Discussant, 2012
• Helen Kardon Moss Anvil Teaching Award, Nominee, The Wharton School, 2012
• Geewax, Terker, and Co. Prize, Distinguished paper published by Rodney L. White Center, 2010
• Rodney L. White Center Research Grant, The Wharton School, 2009
• Brattle Prize, Nominee for Best Paper Published in the Journal of Finance, 2008
• Brattle Prize, Distinguished Award for Best Paper published in the Journal of Finance, 2008
• Excellence in Teaching Award, The Wharton School, 2008
• Greek Executive Council Honorable Recognition, University of Pennsylvania, 2007
• Aronson, Johnson, and Ortiz Research Fellowship, The Wharton School, 2007
• Rodney L. White Center Research Grant, The Wharton School, 2007
• Brattle Prize, Distinguished Award for Best Paper published in the Journal of Finance, 2006
• Geewax, Terker, and Co. Prize, Distinguished paper published by Rodney L. White Center, 2006
• Greek Executive Council Honorable Recognition, University of Pennsylvania, 2006
• David W. Hauk Award for Outstanding Teaching, The Wharton School, 2006
• Excellence in Teaching Award, The Wharton School, 2006
• Review of Financial Studies, Outstanding Referee Award, 2005
• NYSE Fellowship, The Wharton School, 2005
• Rodney L. White Center Research Grant, The Wharton School, 2005
• Financial Management Association Award, Best Paper in Corporate Finance, 2004
• Southwestern Finance Association, Best Paper in Corporate Finance, 2004
• Excellence in Teaching Award, The Wharton School, 2004
• Daimler-Chrysler Core Teaching Award, Duke University, 2004
• Rodney L. White Center Research Grant, The Wharton School, 2004
• CIBER International Research Grant, Duke University, 2003
• Hartman Center Grant, Duke University, 2003
• CIBER International Research Grant, Duke University, 2002
• Elizabeth Schott Award for Excellence in Statistical Research, University of California Berkeley, 2000
• UC Regents Fellowship, University of California Berkeley, 2000