Savina Rizova and Marlena Lee Named Co-Heads of Research

Dimensional has announced that Savina Rizova and Marlena Lee have been named Co-Heads of Research. Rizova and Lee will lead Dimensional’s Research team, which is focused on improving the design and execution of the firm’s investment strategies as well as conducting new investment research on a range of topics.

Rizova joined Dimensional’s Research team in 2004. In 2011, she obtained her PhD in finance at the University of Chicago Booth School of Business. Since then, Rizova has taken a lead role in overseeing investment strategy research and conducting quantitative analysis for clients. She is a member of Dimensional’s Investment Research Committee and Investment Committee.

Lee joined Dimensional in 2008 and has helped manage and shape the firm’s research agenda. She works closely with Dimensional’s clients on a variety of investment-related initiatives and questions. Previously, Lee worked as a teaching assistant for Professor Eugene Fama while she earned her PhD in finance at the University of Chicago Booth School of Business. Lee is also a member of the Investment Research Committee.

“Having Savina and Marlena lead our Research team into the future is great news for the firm and for our clients,” said Gerard O’Reilly, Dimensional’s Co-CEO and CIO. “They will both be focused on how we can continue to advance all of the research we do.”

Rizova added, “I’m thrilled to help lead the Research team with Marlena. In our new roles, we will look at how we can continue to innovate for the benefit of our clients and Dimensional.”

“Savina and I have worked closely together in Dimensional’s Research department for almost a decade,” Lee said. “Our focus now will be on how we can take our capabilities and the team forward into the future.”

Savina Rizova
As Co-Head of Research, Savina applies a background in finance to research projects that Dimensional undertakes to improve the design and execution of new and existing strategies. She also examines a variety of empirical research questions. Prior to obtaining her PhD, Savina worked in the Research group at Dimensional. She conducts quantitative analysis used to explain strategies and performance to clients. Savina is also a member of the Investment Research Committee and the Investment Committee.

Savina completed her PhD in finance at the University of Chicago Booth School of Business and holds an MBA from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business as well as a BA in economics and mathematics from Dartmouth College

Marlena Lee
As Co-Head of Research, Marlena helps manage the firm‘s investment research efforts. She shapes the research agenda by working with clients and the Sales and Investment teams to identify research topics on a variety of investment-related matters that may be useful to clients, including asset pricing, asset allocation, and retirement. Marlena is also a member of the Investment Research Committee. Prior to joining Dimensional, Marlena worked as a teaching assistant for Nobel laureate Eugene Fama, a professor at the University of Chicago Booth School of Business.

Marlena earned her PhD in finance and an MBA from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business. She also holds an MS in agricultural and resource economics and a BS in managerial economics from the University of California, Davis.