Leon Zeng, PhD, CFA, CAIA, is the Senior Director of Investment Decision Analytics at Morningstar, where he leads a global quantitative research team within the Research and Investment Division. He is responsible for architecting systematic frameworks that advance the firm’s multi-asset investment process, including equity valuation, probabilistic return forecasting across public and private markets, and sophisticated portfolio construction. Beyond his quantitative leadership, Dr. Zeng spearheads Morningstar’s behavioral consulting initiatives, integrating applied behavioral science to optimize the firm’s marketing strategy and client engagement.
Prior to joining Morningstar, Leon served as Senior Principal of Behavioral Insights at Discover Financial Services. In this capacity, he led the Behavioral Insights team in leveraging consumer psychology to drive large-scale client acquisition and portfolio engagement.
Leon holds a Bachelor of Engineering from Tsinghua University, specializing in quantitative optimization, and both a Master’s and PhD from Purdue University, with a focus on Behavioral Finance and Management Science. He has also completed Executive Education programs at Harvard and Yale. A recognized thought leader, Leon has published 21 academic papers and co-authored a chapter in the APA Handbook of Consumer Psychology (2022). Outside of his professional pursuits, he is an active volunteer for CFA Boston and a local Bernese Mountain Dog club, and enjoys playing the piano and visiting national parks.