Burcu Esmer is the Academic Co-Director at Wharton Harris Family Alternative Investments Program and Senior Lecturer of Finance at the Wharton School.
Dr. Esmer earned her BSc in Economics with a Minor in Mathematics, graduating with Highest Honor (Summa Cum Laude) from Middle East Technical University (Türkiye). She completed her MA in Economics and PhD in Finance at the Tippie College of Business, University of Iowa. Dr. Esmer’s primary areas of research are empirical corporate finance, banking and private equity. She investigates agency conflicts, and their impact on corporate policies. Her work has been published in leading academic journals such as The Accounting Review, Journal of Banking & Finance, and Applied Mathematical Modelling.
Dr. Esmer teaches private equity and corporate finance in Wharton Executive Education and degree programs. She is the Academic Director of Wharton Wharton – Wall Street Prep Private Equity Certificate Program. Dr. Esmer is the recipient of Wharton’s Teaching Excellence Award in Undergraduate Teaching (2024, 2023, 2019) and in Executive MBA Teaching (2024, 2023). Dr. Esmer is also recognized as one of Poets & Quants’ Best Undergraduate Business Professors of 2024.
Dr. Esmer works closely with various non-profit organizations that aim to increase diversity in asset management and alternative investments. She is the Academic Director of Girls Who Invest Summer Intensive Program and Wharton-AltFinance Institute. She has served on the advisory board of Girls Who Invest since 2018.
A frequent presenter and keynote speaker at academic and industry conferences worldwide, Dr. Esmer’s insights are regularly featured in publications such as Wharton Magazine, Marketplace, and Financial Times’ FundFire Alts. She is also a member of the American Finance Association and the European Finance Association.
