Praveen Kumar is the Cullen Distinguished University Chair and Professor of Finance and Interim Dean at the C.T. Bauer College of Business, University of Houston. He received his Ph.D. in Economics from Stanford University and his undergraduate and Master’s degrees from Princeton University. He is the recipient of the University of Houston Excellence in Research and Scholarship Award; the UH Individual Teaching Excellence Award; and the UH Group Teaching Excellence Award. Dr. Kumar’s research interests include financial and energy markets, capital investment and risk management, corporate finance and governance, industrial organization, and innovation and entrepreneurship. His prolific research has been published in the top international journals in finance, economics, management, and accounting. He has received numerous awards for his research at leading international conferences in finance. Dr. Kumar is the Founding-Director of the Gutierrez Energy Management Institute in the Bauer College of Business. As Department Chair of Finance, Dr. Kumar established highly successful programs in Real Estate, Risk Management and Insurance, Personal Financial Planning, and Commercial Banking. Dr. Kumar has also consulted widely with top international firms as well as major regulatory agencies. Prior to joining University of Houston, Dr. Kumar was on the faculty at Carnegie-Mellon University.