Dr Joel Wing-Lun is a Lecturer in History and Asian Studies at the University of New South Wales, Sydney. His current book project, Negotiating Empire on China’s Miao Frontier, explores how families and communities in southeast Guizhou navigated imperial expansion from the sixteenth century to the early twentieth century. Joel holds a BA from the University of Sydney and a PhD in History and East Asian Languages from Harvard University. He has been a visiting research student at Peking University, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, and the Australian National University, and a visiting fellow at Academia Sinica, Taipei. He is the translator of The Chinese Empire in Local Society: Ming Military Institutions and their Legacies (Routledge, 2020).

Pursuing a PhD in Finance has been a journey of resilience, determination, and growth. I am deeply grateful for the support of my supervisors, friends, and family, and most importantly, the BHP Australia China Scholarship from the Foundation for Australian Studies in China (FASIC).

Their invaluable support, especially FASIC’s financial assistance, care, and encouragement, has enabled me to fully engage in my research. A key milestone in my journey was presenting a chapter of my PhD thesis on the News Sentiment Index and Stock Price Crash Risk at the 37th Australasian Finance and Banking Conference, where I shared fresh insights into the predictive power of news sentiment.

This experience strengthened my research skills and deepened my understanding of perseverance, both of which continue to guide my work in quantitative finance. Looking ahead, I aim to contribute to a deeper understanding of financial markets and risk through quantitative research. I am also passionate about sharing knowledge, supporting others, and fostering a more collaborative research community.

I hope my journey inspires future scholars to persevere, knowing that with determination and the right support, success is always within reach.