Lorenzo Naranjo
“Every course I’ve taken with Dr. Lorenzo Naranjo has been an exceptional learning experience. The structure of his recent Fall 2024 Investment Theory class was thoughtfully organized, facilitating deep understanding and engagement with investment analysis and portfolio construction. Dr. Naranjo’s lectures are notably insightful, clear, and enriched with practical examples that bridge theory with real-world applications. One of the standout features of his teaching is the comprehensive notes and problem sets he makes available. These resources reflect his dedication to student success and mastery of the subject matter.”
John David, PMBA
Get to know Lorenzo!
I am originally from Chile, and I grew up in Santiago. My father’s family is from the south of Santiago, whereas my mother’s family is from the north of Chile. When I was 10, we moved to France for one year because of my dad’s work, so after returning to Chile, I attended a French school.
I am married to Christine, who is also Chilean, and we have one son, Eduardo. My son is currently a senior at Ladue High and is applying to college this year.
We lived in New York, Paris, and Miami before moving to St. Louis. But since my wife and I are from Chile, we usually speak Spanish at home. My son also speaks good Spanish, although I speak more English with him. For those who speak Spanish and are not from Chile, you might find my Spanish awkward, and you are not wrong! The Chilean version of Spanish is hard to understand, and we have many idioms. We try to go to Chile whenever we can since we have most of our family there. The picture on the newsletter cover was taken last December in San Jose de Maipo, a beautiful town near Santiago.
I have always been interested in math and science, and I would have never imagined that I would end up teaching finance in a business school. I am still a proud geek, though. I love to build my computers at home, and I believe I am the only faculty member at Olin (perhaps at WashU!) who runs Linux on all my machines.
I did my undergraduate degree in electrical and industrial engineering at Universidad Catolica de Chile, where I had a good time learning math and science. After I took some finance classes, I realized that much of what I learned as an engineer could be applied to solve quantitative finance problems. I ended up working on a research project at Universidad Catolica that involved a big local bank, and from there, I applied for a PhD in Finance.
I ended up doing my PhD at NYU Stern. Moving from Santiago to New York was a big change. And NYU is not like a typical college campus. But for me and my PhD buddies, it was a great experience to enjoy the city while working on our research. The East Village has a special vibe that is hard to find elsewhere.
My first academic job was at ESSEC Business School in Paris, France. We lived there for six years, then moved to South Florida because I got a job at the University of Miami, where we also lived for six years. Our last move was to St. Louis! We have been living here for three years and have had a great time.
One fun thing about my college experience is that, at that time, there was an elective class called mountaineering. The instructor was a seasoned mountaineer, and you would learn how to climb high peaks. It helped that Santiago is in the Andes, so it was easy to do the “class assignments.”
I climbed many high peaks in the Andes, which triggered my interest in rock climbing. One of the reasons I like St. Louis is that we are close to many great rock climbing areas, like Red River Gorge in Kentucky or Horse Shoe Canyon in Arkansas. The city also has some great climbing gyms. I try to climb three times a week in Upper Limits at Maryland Heights with my wife, Christine. But you might also find me bouldering these days. My son, a much stronger climber than me, prefers to climb with his friends, but he is usually my belay partner when we climb outdoors.
“Lorenzo is genuinely passionate about teaching and constantly strives to make his classes engaging and thought-provoking. He goes out of his way to weave interesting stories into his lectures, adding depth and making complex topics more relatable. Although it can be challenging to fully keep up with his material (not at all his fault – he’s often tasked with teaching highly challenging subjects!), Lorenzo genuinely cares and feels disheartened if students struggle to connect with the content. In those moments, I see a true educator who sincerely cares about our learning experience. I’m deeply grateful to have him as a professor and would count him among my favorite faculty members at Olin”.
Seuss Su, SMP