Dr. Lei Zhou is an endowed chair professor of finance at Northern Illinois University. He earned his Ph.D. from University of Florida in 2002. His research focuses on fixed income securities, credit ratings, and mutual funds. Dr. Zhou’s research has been published in premier finance journals, including Journal of Money, Credit and Banking, Journal of Banking and Finance, Financial Management, and Journal of Corporate Finance. Prior to joining NIU in 2005, Dr. Zhou had taught at Miami University of Ohio. Dr. Zhou had also worked at the US Securities and Exchange Commission as an Academic Visiting Scholar from 2017-2018.