Meet Jian Cai
“Jian Cai is one of my favorite professors at Olin. Behavioral finance was one of the most challenging classes I took, but she made it engaging and always explained concepts in a way that was easy to understand. In business school, where female professors are less common, it was refreshing and inspiring to learn from someone as smart, kind, and engaging as Professor Cai. She not only deepened my understanding of behavioral finance but also helped me believe in myself.” Emily Palm, MBA 2024
A native Shanghainese, Jian grew up in the house her grandfather built with his brother in the 1930s, where they raised their children and saw many grandchildren running and playing until the mid-1990s when old houses were torn down in that area and later replaced by high-rise buildings. That was also the year Jian finished college and came to the States. Although the city looks very different now compared to the old time, she tries to find memories and tastes of her childhood every time she goes back to Shanghai.
Jian knew she wanted to go to Fudan University starting in first grade. She wanted it so much that she did not only make it to Fudan but also attended the high school affiliated to Fudan. It was her lucky place for the lifelong friends she made there and some fondest memories of her youth time. She also met her husband in her senior year close to the college entrance exam time, and their paths have been together ever since.
Jian thought she was going to be a mathematician in elementary school as she repeatedly broke the school records for solving challenging math problems. But she found her stronger passion lies in Chinese literature and poetry in middle and high school. She chose to study economics in college because of its popularity. While it is not the right reason for choosing a major, fortunately it worked out well for her, especially after she continued her studies in graduate school, as she absolutely loves what she does every day.
Jian studied marketing research in her first master’s program. She worked in the private sector for seven years applying statistical models in the fields of marketing communications, investors relations, crisis management, business intelligence, database marketing, relationship banking, etc.
After discovering her strong interest in finance, she studied at WashU Olin first as a professional MBA student (PMBA 8) for 3 years then as a PhD student for 5 years. Following a very peaceful time as a student at Olin, she graduated in 2009 when the Great Recession was at its worst, most turbulent time. After graduation, she first worked for Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland as a research economist for two years, then for Fordham University as an assistant professor of finance for four years. She returned to WashU Olin in the summer of 2015, which was the happiest moment in her professional life as she was finally home!
St. Louis is like a magnet to Jian. Every time she left, she would get drawn back. Such a magic power was especially obvious and strong when she was working in New York City. Her friend called her homesick then as she missed everything about St. Louis. This year marks her 30th year living in the US since she first landed at St. Louis Lambert Airport in 1995. After her hometown Shanghai, St. Louis has in fact become her second hometown where she has dear friends who are like family and close communities that are like home.
“As a former student of Professor Cai’s FIN 550E (Behavioral Finance) and FIN 537 (Advanced Derivative Securities) courses, I can attest to her extensive expertise in both the quantitative and qualitative aspects of finance. Her lectures seamlessly blend academic research with empirical industry findings. Her wit and wisdom transform complex theories and financial models into vivid, easily understandable examples. For those of us seeking additional learning materials on topics of interest, Professor Cai provides related references as optional reading in each module. Moreover, we gained hands-on experience and a deeper understanding of certain models through assignments and projects. Overall, I highly recommend Professor Cai’s classes to anyone eager to learn more about finance!” David Fu, SMP 2024
Jian enjoys two things most. First, she loves to spend time with her family, especially traveling with her husband, son, parents, and parents-in-law. Their favorite place to visit is Disney theme parks, from Disney World in Orlando to Disneyland in California, Hong Kong, Shanghai, and Paris. Their mission is to visit all Disney parks worldwide, which will be completed after their final stop in Tokyo. Beware that in Jian’s classes, Disney is often used in examples, homework, and even exams! They would also love to go back to Hawaii and Europe as well as explore other fascinating places they have not been to yet.
Jian’s second favorite thing is to interact with her students. She teaches various finance courses at Olin, from corporate finance to investments, from banking to options and futures. She tries to make every topic interesting, fun to study, and intuitive to understand. Outside class time, she helps students with homework, exam preparation, career questions, school applications, etc. She is thankful for the trust students place in her and the honor they give her as a teacher. She feels the utmost joy when she sees students make milestones in life, for example, a dream job, a promotion, admission to a top program, getting married, becoming a parent…