Clockwise from top left: Diane Del Guercio, John Chalmers, Yue Fang, Steve Matsunaga

A quartet of professors has received Distinguished Research Scholar appointments from the University of Oregon's Lundquist College of Business. The college awards the appointments for outstanding contributions to research and education. Each three-year appointment provides funding for ongoing professional development.

Two associate professors of finance, Diane Del Guercio and John Chalmers, were designated as Gerry and Marilyn Cameron Distinguished Research Scholars.

Del Guercio's active research interests include the investment practices of institutional investors and the role of pension funds in corporate governance. Del Guercio's high standards extend to the classroom; she has received several honors for excellence in teaching.

Chalmers' research focuses on the role of transaction costs and taxes in the determination of value. With his co-authors, he published one of the first papers to find and explain significant flaws in the pricing of mutual funds. These flaws were being exploited and came to be known as the mutual fund market-timing scandal. Chalmers' work with students includes his central role in the development and oversight of the University of Oregon Investment Group, which is a student group that manages two stock portfolios worth more than $600,000.

Yue Fang, associate professor, was named a Robert and Lois Braddock Distinguished Research Scholar. Fang's work emphasizes applied statistics and economic forecasting. An outstanding researcher, he also received the Scharpf Research Excellence Award in 2003.

An associate professor of accounting, Steve Matsunaga, was appointed an Oregon Alumni Distinguished Research Scholar. Matsunaga's field of primary interest is the design of managerial compensation contracts. His current research explores issues relating to executive incentives and corporate governance structures.

The college extends congratulations to each of these academic leaders, along with appreciation for their ongoing contributions to original research, the college, and the university.