Haoxiang Zhu appointed co-director of MIT Sloan’s Golub Center for Finance and Policy
The distinguished scholar and former SEC official will help advance the Center’s mission at MIT Sloan School of Management.
The MIT Sloan School of Management's Golub Center for Finance and Policy (GCFP) has announced the appointment of Haoxiang Zhu as co-director, effective July 1, 2026. Zhu will lead research and educational initiatives that further the GCFP’s mission to support governments in their roles as financial institutions and regulators of the financial system.
The mission of the Golub Center is to serve as a catalyst for innovative, cross-disciplinary, and non-partisan research and educational initiatives that address the unique challenges facing governments in their role as financial institutions and as regulators of the financial system. The Center leverages MIT’s academic excellence and commitment to public service to promote meaningful improvements in the design and implementation of financial policy.
“The work of the Golub Center is central to MIT Sloan’s mission — connecting finance and policy to global impact,” said Richard M. Locke, John C Head III Dean and Professor of Global Economics and Management. “Having a distinguished scholar and policy expert such as Haoxiang join the leadership of this center means that its impact will be even stronger in the future. I look forward to seeing how Haoxiang’s leadership will help the Golub Center grow.”
Zhu, Gordon Y. Billard Professor of Finance at MIT Sloan and a former Director of the Division of Trading and Markets at the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), is an internationally recognized expert in market structure, financial market design, and asset pricing. His research has been published in leading academic journals, including the Journal of Finance, Review of Economic Studies, Review of Financial Studies, and Journal of Financial Economics, and has received numerous awards for its contributions to understanding how financial markets function and can be improved.
“Haoxiang brings a rare combination of academic rigor and high-level policy experience, particularly in the area of financial regulation” says Deborah Lucas, MIT Sloan Distinguished Professor of Finance and current director of the Golub Center. “I am excited about the perspectives and energy he will bring as we work together to continue and expand the Center’s impact that advances thoughtful, evidence-based approaches to financial policy.”
From 2021 to 2024, Zhu served as Director of the SEC’s Division of Trading and Markets, where he led efforts to modernize the regulation of U.S. securities markets. His work included advancing key initiatives such as expanding central clearing in Treasury markets, shortening the settlement cycle for securities transactions, and enhancing transparency and oversight across trading systems and market participants.
“I am honored to take on this role at the Golub Center,” says Zhu. “The Center has established itself as a leader in bridging academic research and public policy. I look forward to working with colleagues across MIT and beyond to deepen our understanding of financial systems and to contribute to policies that promote stability, efficiency, and resilience in global markets.”
Prior to his service at the SEC, Zhu’s academic career at MIT Sloan has focused on capital markets, financial intermediation, and the design of trading mechanisms. His scholarship has earned several major honors, and he has been recognized as one of the “40 under 40” best business school professors by Poets & Quants.
Zhu is also a Research Associate at the National Bureau of Economic Research and was an associate editor of Journal of Finance and a department editor of Management Science. He has served in advisory roles for leading policy institutions, including the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago, the Commodity Futures Trading Commission, and the Bank for International Settlements. He holds a B.A. in mathematics and computer science from the University of Oxford and a Ph.D. in finance from Stanford University’s Graduate School of Business.
