John P. Gould studies strategy, microeconomics, industrial organization, law and economics, the economics of information, and investment by the firm. Considered an expert in his field, Gould has been called to testify in many court cases and his research has been widely published.

After graduating with a bachelor's of science with highest distinction in 1960 from Northwestern University, he attended the University of Chicago, where he earned an MBA in 1963 and a PhD in 1966. Gould joined the Chicago Booth faculty in 1965. In 1969-70, while on leave from Booth, Gould was Special Assistant for Economic Affairs in the Department of Labor when George P. Shultz was Secretary of Labor and a consultant for economic affairs to the Office of Management and Budget for the Executive Office of the President.

Gould is currently the director of DFA funds, a position he has held since 1986; director of Harbor funds; and Chairman of the CME Group's Competitive Markets Advisory Council. He is lead editor of the Journal of Law & Economics. He has served as editor of the Journal of Business, Associate Editor of the Journal of Financial Economics and Associate Editor of the Journal of Accounting and Economics. Additionally, he has served as a referee for American Economic Review, Bell Journal of Economics, Canadian Journal of Economics, Econometrica, Economic Inquiry, Journal of Economic Theory, Journal of Business, Journal of Finance, Journal of Financial Economics, Journal of the American Statistical Association, Journal of Political Economy, International Economic Review, Management Science, Quarterly Journal of Economics, and Review of Economic Studies and as a reviewer of research projects for the National Science Foundation. Gould is the University of Chicago representative on the Board of the National Bureau of Economic Research. He is a member of several professional organizations, including the American Economic Association and Commercial Club of Chicago. From 1983 to 1993, Gould served as dean of the Chicago Booth School of Business.

Business Professor