Joseph Engelberg's research concerns corporate finance and asset pricing. Within corporate finance, he has examined the role of social networks in setting executive pay.  His research in empirical asset pricing focuses on the role that media play in disseminating information in financial markets.

Before joining UNC Kenan-Flagler, he worked as a research specialist at the Securities and Exchange Commission and as a consultant for the Chicago Board of Trade and Morgan Stanley.

He received his Ph.D. in finance from Northwestern University's Kellogg School of Management, and his BA in mathematics and BS in business administration, summa cum laude, from the University of Southern California.