Bruce Carlin

Biography

Bruce Carlin’s route to UCLA Anderson as a professor of finance may be one of the school’s more circuitous ones. Carlin, who comes from a family of medical practitioners, had a successful career as a professor of surgery at Washington University in St. Louis. While practicing surgery, he pursued an MBA with the goal to learn more about health care management so that he would be able to take on future leadership positions at the medical school.

However, Carlin was so stimulated by the fields of finance and economics that he felt he had missed his calling and decided to pursue an academic career in finance. He left surgery and moved to North Carolina to pursue a Ph.D. in finance at Duke University. Since that time, Carlin has enjoyed a fulfilling career and has never looked back. He has thoroughly enjoyed the fruits of the risk that he took in leaving the surgical profession, and says that this decision made all the difference in his life.

Since joining UCLA Anderson in 2007, Carlin has focused his research in the areas of consumer finance, asset pricing and corporate finance. His expertise spans distressed portfolio liquidation, information and asset pricing, price complexity in retail financial markets, consumer financial literacy and strategic financial disclosure. Carlin is a director of the Financial Research Association and a past associate editor of the Review of Financial Studies, and he frequently organizes meetings of the National Bureau of Economic Research. Carlin has been recognized for his teaching acumen as well as his research, earning a number of awards and citations. He has also had the opportunity to teach students at the University of Chicago’s Booth School of Business, Duke University and the University of North Carolina.

Carlin has served as an expert witness in matters involving consumer and corporate finance, health care, life sciences, product liability and valuation. He has testified in a variety of venues, including U.S. district courts, state superior court and the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA).

Carlin is a family man and places a premium on spending time with his wife Nikki and daughter Zoe. In addition, he has a lot of hobbies. He is a master swimmer at UCLA, a whiskey connoisseur, an avid poker player and an active member of the Water Buffalo Club, a foundation dedicated to raising money for indigent children in Los Angeles. In his spare time, you might find him playing his blues guitar.

Recognition

Neidorf “Decade” Teaching Award, UCLA, 2015

Winner, Teaching Excellence Award, Full-Time MBA Program, UCLA, 2015

WRDS Best Paper Award, Northern Finance Association, 2014

Citibank Teaching Award, UCLA, 2013

AQR Insight Award: Honorable Mention, 2013

Swiss Finance Institute Outstanding Paper Award, 2009

Eric and E Juline Faculty Excellence in Research Award, UCLA, 2009

2nd Place, Teaching Excellence Award, Full-Time MBA Program, UCLA, 2009

Finalist, Teaching Excellence Award, Fully-Employed MBA Program, UCLA, 2009

Dean George W. Robbins Assistant Professor Teaching Award, UCLA, 2008

Award for Outstanding Teaching Excellence, Kenan-Flagler School of Business, University of North Carolina, 2007

Phi Beta Kappa, Duke University, 2007

ABCD Award for Teaching, Honorable Mention, Fuqua School of Business, Duke University, 2004

Knight Scholar Award, Olin School of Business, Washington University of St. Louis, 2003

Beta Gamma Sigma, Olin School of Business, Washington University of St. Louis, 2003

Ohio Urologic Society Resident Essay Contest, First Place Basic Science and First Place Overall, 1996

Ohio Urologic Society Resident Debate, First Place, 1996

Cleveland Urologic Society Resident Essay Contest, First Place Basic Science and First Place Overall, 1996

Metropolitan Hospital Research Contest, Case Western Reserve School of Medicine, Second Place, 1996

Metropolitan Hospital Research Contest, Case Western Reserve School of Medicine, Third Place, 1994

Baxter Program Research Award, Northwestern University Medical School, 1989