Prepare yourself for an unparalleled future

Most Illinois Finance PhD graduates take positions at U.S. and international research universities. Placement into such positions is facilitated by the students’ advisors. In addition, some students take academic positions research positions in non-academic institutions.

Over the past five years 85% of admitted students have graduated with 100% of those graduates finding employment within three months of graduation.

Initial Placements of Recent University of Illinois Finance PhD Students

2024
Peter Han: Purdue University

2023
Chris Lien: National Taiwan University (NTU)
Jeyul Yang: Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), Germany
Miles Zheng: Texas Christian University (TCU)

2022
Sida Li: Brandeis University
Ji Min Park: Nanyang Technological University

2021
Filipe Correia: University of Georgia

2020
Sulaiman Al-Bader: Kuwait University
Meng Gao: University of Connecticut
Chao Zi: Shanghai Advanced Institute of Finance (SAIF)

2019
Ruidi Huang: Southern Methodist University (SMU)
Eunji Oh: Wharton Research Data Services (WRDS)
Pranav Singh: Indian Institute of Management – Ahmedabad

2018
Hwanki (Brian) Kim: Baylor University
Spyridon Lagaras: University of Pittsburgh
Nuri Ersahin: Michigan State University

2017
Fabricio D’Almeida: University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Yongjun Kim: University of Seoul Korea
Jangwook Lee: Korea Development Institute (KDI)
Ping Liu: Purdue University

2016
Mo Liang: Renmin University
Jianglin (Dennis) Ding: St. John Fisher College
Xiangyi Xie Spencer: University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

2015
Sadra Amiri Moghadam: JPMorgan Chase
Jiyoon Lee: George Washington University
Li Wang: Rochester Institute of Technology
Taehyun Kim: University of Notre Dame

2014
Yilin Zhang: Peking University
Tolga Caskurlu: University of Amsterdam Business School
Marco Rocha: Banco Central do Brasil

2013
Quoc Nguyen: University of Illinois at Chicago
Tatiana Chebonenko: JPMorgan Chase
Chen Yao: University of Warwick
Igor Cunha: Nova School of Business and Economics
Lifeng Gu: University of Hong Kong

2012
Canatip Kitwiwattanachai: University of Connecticut
Dongming Sun: JPMorgan Chase
Jaehoon Lee: University of New South Wales
Dmitriy Muravyev: Boston College

2011
Ryoonhee Kim: City University of Hong Kong
Bruno Laranjeira: McKinsey

2010
Thomas Jacobs: DePaul University
Elizabeth Risik: Webster University

2009 
Marek Jochec: ISCTE Business School

2008
Qian Deng: Blackrock Investment Management

2007
Brandon Julio: London Business School
Sophie Xiaoyan Ni: Hong Kong University of Science and Technology

2006
Brian Henderson: Seton Hall University
Woojin Kim: Korea Development Institute (KDI)

2005
Stephen Dimmock: Michigan State University
Joongho Han: Korea Development Institute (KDI)
Sangwoo Lee: City University of Hong Kong
Minqiang Li: George Institute of Technology
Joseph Marks: Jacobs Levy Equity Management

2003
Kwangwoo Park: Chung-Ang University

2002
Joseph Pagliari: Northwestern University

2001
Anderson Silva: Brazilian Ministry of Finance
Vitaly Serbin: ITG
Joonghyuk Kim: Korea University
Kevin Ahlgrim: Illinois State University
Carolyn Dehring: University of Georgia

2000
Murillo Campello: Arizona State University
Konan Chan: National Taiwan University