Ricky “Rick” Cooper

Ricky “Rick” Cooper is an associate professor and director of the graduate finance programs at Stuart School of Business (M.S. Finance, M.S. Financial Economics, Ph.D. Finance). Throughout his academic career, he has taught all aspects of financial theory, investments, and financial management at Illinois Tech, Vanderbilt University, Harvard University, and Wayne State University.

While he has always taught, Cooper also had a professional career, beginning with State Street Global Advisors in Boston, where he quickly rose from active international portfolio manager to co-founder of the Enhanced Index Group to co-founder and associate director of the Advanced Research Center.

He then returned to his hometown of Chicago, where he worked as a senior partner and director of analytics for Harris Investment Management. In this role, he modernized the analytic systems, and led the revamping of the models with a commensurate uptick in investment performance. He then spent several years as an owner and chief investment officer of his own firm.

Cooper sold his interest in his company and turned his attention to high frequency trading, where he became director of risk management for Xambala, Inc., a proprietary high frequency trading company. It was there that he developed many methodologies that formed the backbone of his early publications upon moving to Illinois Tech.

His research has published more than two dozen articles in highly ranked journals including the Journal of Futures Markets, the Financial Analysts Journal, the Journal of Financial Economics, and The Journal of Portfolio Management among others. His latest research projects focus on techniques of quantitative portfolio management and the intersection of knowledge management and business innovation. Cooper is co-editor of the journal Algorithmic Finance.

Education

Ph.D., Vanderbilt University, Finance
M.B.A., Vanderbilt University, Finance
B.S., University of Chicago, Mathematics (with General Honors)

Research Interests

Portfolio Management and Analysis
Trading and Ethics
Futures Markets and Pricing

Affiliations

M.S. in Finance 
M.S. in Financial Economics 
Ph.D. in Finance 
Ph.D. in Management Science