Research Institutes

Nishant Dass

Director

Nishant Dass is joining the Robert Day School of Economics and Finance as the Charles M. Stone Associate Professor of Finance. He is an empiricist by training and his field of research is Corporate Finance. He started his research career with a focus on two broad fields within Corporate Finance – Financial Intermediation and Corporate Governance. His interest in Financial Intermediaries was motivated by the important role that these entities play in capital allocation in the economy. His research in this field has highlighted both the effect that financial intermediaries have on firms as well as the internal functioning of these intermediaries, which include commercial banks, mutual funds, and venture capital firms. His interest in research on Corporate Governance is primarily driven by the fundamental role that Chief Executive Officers (CEOs) and Boards of Directors play within the firm. A special focus of his research has been the advisory role of directors and the effect of CEO’s incentive contracts. Over time, his research in financial intermediation and corporate governance intersected to highlight the role of innovative firms, thus sparking a new line of research on innovation over the last few years. He continues to research the many unique aspects of innovative firms and their special role in the economy.

Cameron Shelton

Director

Cameron A. Shelton is the McMahon Family Associate Professor of Political Economyand George Roberts Fellow at CMC where he teaches courses in macroeconomics and political economy.

Professor Shelton’s research addresses whether and how the institutions that structure political competition affect macroeconomic policy and outcomes. His research, often with students, has been published and cited in highly regarded journals in both political science and economics. His research assistants and thesis advisees have gone on to doctoral work in political science and economics at Stanford, Harvard, Princeton, and other prestigious programs.

Jane Kikolm Smith

Founder

Janet Kiholm Smith is the Von Tobel Professor of Economics at Claremont McKenna College. She received a Ph.D. in economics from UCLA, and has been on the faculties of Arizona State University, University of Southern California, and Oberlin College.  At CMC, she has served as the Founding Director of the Center for Innovation & Entrepreneurship and has served as the Dean of the Robert Day School of Economics and Finance, Chair of the Department of Economics, and Director of the Financial Economics Institute.

Darren Filson

Director

Darren Filson is the Director of the Randall Lewis Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship, the Academic Director of the Silicon Valley Program, and the James G. Boswell Professor of Economics and George R. Roberts Fellow at Claremont McKenna College. Professor Filson received his Ph.D. in Economics from the University of Rochester in 1996, and he has taught at the Claremont Colleges since 1997. Most of his research and teaching focuses on the intersections of industrial organization, finance, and strategy, with an emphasis on industry evolution and innovation.