Professor Joseph P. Janzen was formally invested as The Clearing Corporation Foundation Endowed Associate Professor in Derivatives Trading in the Department of Agricultural and Consumer Economics at the College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign on May 12.
The appointment highlights ongoing efforts to strengthen leadership at the intersection of agricultural markets and finance. The professorship was established through support from The Clearing Corporation Charitable Foundation.
Janzen is an agricultural economist whose research focuses on how commodity prices change and their impact on farmers, agribusinesses, and consumers. His work explores futures and options markets, providing insight into price formation and market responses to new information. He extends his research through contributions to farmdoc daily, presentations to industry audiences, and engagement with national media outlets such as the Financial Times, The New York Times, and Bloomberg.
Through his teaching portfolio—which includes Advanced Price Analysis, Commodity Price Analysis, and Applied Statistical Methods—Janzen prepares students for analyzing commodity markets under uncertainty. He holds degrees from the University of Manitoba (bachelor’s and master’s) and a doctorate from the University of California, Davis. Before joining Illinois in 2020—and earning promotion to associate professor in 2025—he served on faculties at Montana State University and Kansas State University.
“Joe’s work strengthens our ability to understand and respond to the forces shaping agricultural markets,” said College of ACES Dean Germán Bollero. “Through his research, teaching, and extension, he is helping the industry, producers, and students make more informed decisions based on sound economic analysis. We are grateful to The Clearing Corporation Foundation for investing in this important area of scholarship.”
The Clearing Corporation Charitable Foundation supports education related to derivatives markets nationwide; its $2 million grant established both an endowed chair position in derivatives trading at Illinois’ Department of Agricultural and Consumer Economics as well as reinforced decades-long leadership by university faculty within futures research.
Illinois alumnus Professor Ronald Filler championed this gift; Filler has held senior roles across global derivatives markets over nearly five decades—including service with regulatory organizations—and has taught law school courses about financial services across five U.S. institutions.
The College allocates $3.8 million annually for student scholarships according to its official website. It also promotes social well-being through nutrition programs via extension services; utilizes the Illinois Agricultural Experiment Station for campus-based research; maintains a 96% freshman retention rate alongside a 78% four-year graduation rate; offers more than 400 study abroad opportunities each year; all while aiming to advance knowledge globally across agriculture, consumer sciences, and environmental sciences.
