Christian Lundblad to help lead Grand Challenge, connect with UNC Kenan-Flagler faculty
CHAPEL HILL, NC (September 1, 2026) — Christian Lundblad, Richard “Dick” Levin Distinguished Professor of Finance at UNC Kenan-Flagler Business School, is the new director of research for the Kenan Institute of Private Enterprise.
Lundblad previously served as senior associate dean for faculty and research, area chair of finance, associate dean of the PhD Program and director of the Center for Excellence in Investment Management at UNC Kenan-Flagler. He officially assumed the role July 1, returning to the position he held at the Kenan Institute from 2016 to 2022.
Lundblad’s research spans empirical asset pricing, investment management, hedge and mutual funds, and international finance, with a specialization in emerging markets. He teaches courses on macroeconomics for managers, investment management and global financial markets, including emerging market finance and development.
In his role as director of research, Lundblad will help lead the Kenan Institute’s annual Grand Challenge, a concerted yearlong effort to examine and drive solutions to the most pressing issues facing business and society. He will facilitate connections between the institute and the research faculty at UNC Kenan-Flagler and produce research-backed pieces for the institute’s website, kenaninstitute.unc.edu.
“At its best, the institute creates a genuinely bidirectional exchange between the academy and the world of practice: We listen carefully, we study the questions that matter and we share what we learn in ways that are useful,” Lundblad said. “In my previous role as senior associate dean, I spent a great deal of time evangelizing across the business school for exactly this model — rigorous, translational research as the indispensable foundation for meaningful thought leadership. I’m excited to return to the institute because that cycle — listen, study and share — is something it does exceptionally well.”
Lundblad succeeded Camelia Kuhnen, Boyd White Harris Jr. Distinguished Professor of Finance at UNC Kenan-Flagler.
“I am delighted to welcome him back to the Kenan Institute. He is one of the finest communicators I have encountered,” said Executive Director Paige Ouimet. “He embodies our mission of translating academic research into practice, and we are fortunate to have him on the team. I am excited for the great work I am sure we will accomplish with his leadership.”
Lundblad’s research has been published in top academic journals such as the Journal of Finance, Review of Financial Studies and Journal of Financial Economics. He is associate editor at the Journal of Banking and Finance as well as Financial Management, and he previously served as an associate editor for the Journal of Finance.
He holds a courtesy appointment as a special-term professor at the People’s Bank of China School of Finance at Tsinghua University in Beijing and served as a financial economist at the Federal Reserve Board in Washington, DC, where he advised the Board of Governors on international financial market developments.
Lundblad is the recipient of the Weatherspoon Award for Excellence in Research and Executive MBA Program and OneMBA teaching excellence awards.
He received a Ph.D. in financial economics and a master’s degree in economics from Duke University. He earned a B.A. in economics and English literature with highest honors from Washington University in St. Louis.
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About the Kenan Institute of Private Enterprise at UNC Kenan-Flagler Business School The Frank Hawkins Kenan Institute of Private Enterprise develops and promotes innovative, market-based solutions to vital economic issues. With the belief that private enterprise is the cornerstone of a prosperous and free society, the institute fosters the entrepreneurial spirit to stimulate economic prosperity and improve the lives of people in North Carolina, across the country and around the world. Learn more at kenaninstitute.unc.edu.
