2025 Lam-Larsen Distinguished Research Professorship Awards

Professor, Finance

Professor Todd Feldman’s research explores critical areas in finance, behavioral economics, fintech, and market dynamics, with a focus on investor sentiment, asset price behavior, financial regulation, decentralized finance (DeFi), and agent-based modelling. His research tackles contemporary financial challenges by integrating these fields to offer new insights into market behavior, investment strategies, and the evolving financial landscape. He has published over 20 articles, including one rated A* and 6 rated A.

Equally commendable is Professor Feldman’s role in fostering a research culture and pedagogical innovation at SFSU. From founding new courses in fintech and sustainable investing to mentoring students, collaborating with colleagues, and organizing research conferences to engage with industry, his impact extends far beyond individual scholarship.

Professor, Accounting

Professor Theresa Hammond is a nationally recognized scholar whose groundbreaking research on Black Certified Public Accountants has shaped the field of Accounting. Her seminal book, A White-Collar Profession, has sold over 7,000 copies since its publication 20 years ago, with glowing reviews on Amazon averaging 4.9 stars. Theresa’s scholarly work has been published widely; she has over 20 publications, with many in the highest quality journals, including 9 A* and 9 A rated publications. She continues to inspire a new generation of Black CPAs.

Her global reach includes work with Black chartered accountants in South Africa and mentoring one of the country’s first Black female Ph.D. in accounting. Her work was instrumental in the development of the PhD Project that advances diversity in business fields. Theresa’s service in the past three decades culminated in her 2023 induction into the PhD Project Hall of Fame. She continues to co-author with and mentor junior faculty within and outside her department. Her award-winning work now includes critical histories of both Black and LGBTQ+ accountants. Above all, Theresa exemplifies her commitment to making the business profession more just towards marginalized groups through her research, teaching, and service.

Associate Professor, Management

Professor Priyanka Joshi’s research aims to create sustainable workplaces for all by addressing important social problems, such as justice and fairness in organizations, and biases against female leaders. Her academic productivity is exemplified by her lead authorship of 10 peer-reviewed journal articles, and six articles published in the highest quality (A*) journals in management and organization. Her research on gender differences in communication has been widely cited by scholars in the fields of management, psychology, gender studies, and communications, attesting to its broad academic impact in these areas.

Priyanka’s impressive methodological expertise includes field studies, survey methodology, analysis of archival data, textual analysis, big data analysis, behavioral lab studies, and meta-analytic and research synthesis techniques, each adding to her scientific rigor in addressing the research questions. Her academic leadership is also exemplified by her service on the communications advisory board at the Society for Personality and Social Psychology, where she helped translate research findings to broader audiences, and to society at large.

Associate Professor, Management

Professor Vero Rabelo’s research productivity is demonstrated by 23 peer-reviewed publications, four of which in A* and one in A ranked journals. Their pioneering research on how people experience, cope with, and resist injustice in organizations has made an impressive academic and societal impact. The numerous research awards, as well as over 1800 Google Scholar citations of Vero’s research, attest to its relevance and academic impact. Vero’s publications, presentations, and speeches have initiated important conversations on sensitive topics such as inequality and marginalization in organizations, especially harassment and mistreatment against women of color. Vero’s recent appointment as Associate Editor of Equality, Diversity and Inclusion and editorial board member of the Journal of Business and Psychology further attests to the value and impact of their research.

In addition to having an impressive academic impact, Vero’s scholarship has reached the SFSU community and society at large through campus workshops, public lectures, practitioner publications, public appearances, and speaking engagements. The greatest testimony to the societal impact of their research is the fact that it has been cited in Supreme Court briefs, triggering the expansion of federal legislation (Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964) to include greater protections for transgender and gender nonconforming individuals.

Associate Professor, Finance

Professor Yi Zhou’s research stands out for its breadth and depth. Her research areas span empirical asset pricing, derivatives, credit risk, default risk, volatility, art and finance, climate risk, weather risk, and generative AI (Gen AI). She has an exceptional publication record, demonstrated by 5 A* and 4 A publications. Her research has gained significant academic visibility, with 140+ university seminar and conference invitations as well as extensive media coverage in outlets such as Yahoo Finance and the Huffington Post. She has also served as an ad-hoc referee for 30+ journals.

She was the only professor of finance invited to the prestigious International Climate Computer Summit, an NSF-sponsored event in 2024, which convened experts to evaluate a specialized computational system for high-resolution global climate projections. Her participation fostered collaborations between climate scientists and financial experts and the broader academic community.