Education

2009 Nanjing University of Science and Technology, China, B.A.
2011 The George Washington University, M.S.
2018 Louisiana State University, Ph.D.

Courses Taught

Investments
Financial Markets, Institutions, and Money

Career Specialties

Wentao's areas of interest focus on how participants in capital markets process and respond to information, with research in investments and short selling. In addition, his interest examines how fintech and information frictions shape asset pricing, investor behavior, and real estate markets.

Professional and Community Activities

Wentao's research examines how information, innovation, and institutional frictions shape capital markets and real economic outcomes. Examples of recent publications span corporate finance, investments, fintech, and behavioral finance: “Do Innovator CEOs Matter in IPOs?” (Accounting & Finance, 2024) studies how CEO innovation backgrounds affect IPO outcomes; “The Effect of Unionization on Firms’ Earnings Management and Employee Compensation” (Journal of Business Finance & Accounting, 2023) uses a regression discontinuity design to identify causal effects of labor institutions; “The Impact of Demonetization on Microfinance Institutions” (Journal of Business Research, 2022) evaluates a macro policy shock on credit access; “Short Selling Surrounding Data Breach Announcements” (Finance Research Letters, 2022) analyzes informed trading around cybersecurity events; and “Momentum, Information, and Herding” (Journal of Behavioral Finance, 2021) explores behavioral drivers of return continuation. 

In addition to published work, Wentao maintains a pipeline of high-impact working papers at various stages of the review process across capital markets, investment, fintech, and real estate. He is also active in the scholarly community as a referee for several journals, serve as an external expert on the Finance and Accounting Advisory Committee at SUNY Canton in New York, and mentor student teams in the CFA Research Challenge, as well as volunteer as a judge for InvestWrite competition. These roles reflect his commitment to advancing research, supporting curricular relevance, and building practitioner–academic bridges.

Honors and Awards

2023-2025 Faculty Fellowship, Institute for a Sustainable Environment, Clarkson University
2023-2025 Research Grant for Entrepreneurship, Global Supply Chain Management, and Sustainable Development, Clarkson University