Director’s Message


Headshot of Executive Director of the Parker Center, Lakshmi Bhojraj

Lakshmi Bhojraj

Letter from the Executive Director


The Parker Center for Investment Research at Johnson is dedicated to providing a world-class education to students interested in careers in investment research and portfolio management. The Center is the hub of investment research-related programming and activity at the SC Johnson College of Business. Our Cayuga Fund is a student-managed fund with approximately $1 million in university endowment money under management and is an integral part of the asset management curriculum at Johnson, teaching students not only how to “go long” stocks but also the art of shorting. We have deep ties to industry through our highly regarded events such as the MBA and Undergraduate Stock Pitch Challenges, and the Women in Investing (WIN) conferences; and our corporate sponsors include many top-tier firms such as Fidelity Investments, Capital Group, Dodge & Cox, T. Rowe Price, PIMCO and American Century Investments.

For students, we provide structured opportunities to learn the art and science of becoming successful professional investors and provide them with the resources they need through our programming and our state-of-the-art analytical facility. Students can try out to be first-year MBA sector analysts or undergraduate research associates for the Cayuga Fund, and compete to represent Cornell in one of our signature events where they have the opportunity to connect with professionals and recruiters. MBA students also have the opportunity to participate in various treks to investment management firms in Boston and New York and learn what it takes to be successful as a professional investor. Our thriving MBA student club, the Investment Management Club, enables students to practice researching, writing, and pitching stocks and hosts several guest lecturers in the field.

If you’re a prospective student, you should know that many of our students have landed successful careers in investment management and we encourage you to take advantage of our exceptionally close-knit alumni circle, in addition to the multitude of other resources mentioned above, for your learning, networking and job search process.

We encourage you to look through our website to learn more and join us on your journey to becoming successful investment professionals!

Lakshmi Bhojraj