New Director Appointed at the Oxford-Man Institute
Professor Álvaro Cartea, a globally recognised expert in quantitative finance and algorithmic trading, appointed as Director of the Oxford-Man Institute of Quantitative Finance
Oxford, 22 September 2021 – Professor Álvaro Cartea has been appointed as the new Director of the Oxford-Man Institute of Quantitative Finance (OMI), a world-leading academic research institute at the University of Oxford that specialises in machine learning and data analytics within quantitative finance.
Professor Cartea brings significant expertise in algorithmic trading, mathematical finance, financial economics, asset pricing and energy markets to the leadership role. The Oxford-Man Institute is in its 15th year of continuous operation at an exciting time within quantitative finance for advances in machine learning, vast data availability and high-performance computing.
Álvaro is currently Professor of Mathematical Finance in the Mathematical Institute, University of Oxford, and a member of the Mathematical and Computational Finance Group. He is founding member and Deputy Chairman of the Commodities & Energy Markets Association (CEMA). Before coming to Oxford, Álvaro was Reader in Mathematical Finance at University College London. He was also previously JP Morgan Lecturer in Financial Mathematics, Exeter College, University of Oxford. Álvaro obtained his doctorate from the University of Oxford in 2003.
Additionally, Álvaro is the Editor-in Chief of the Applied Mathematical Finance Journal and a member of the Editorial Boards of the Market Microstructure and Liquidity Journal, the Journal of Commodity Markets and the Journal of Energy Markets.
Álvaro succeeds Professor Stephen Roberts FREng as OMI Director, who leaves the role after five years of successful leadership. Having pioneered the OMI’s transition into machine learning and data analytics research in quantitative finance, Professor Roberts joins an exclusive set of former OMI Directors who have made significant contributions in the fields of quantitative finance, machine learning and statistical modelling. Former OMI Directors include Neil Shephard, now the Frank B. Baird Jr., Professor of Science at Harvard University, and Terry Lyons, Wallis Professor of Mathematics at the University of Oxford and Fellow of the Alan Turing Institute, the UK’s national institute for data science and artificial intelligence.
The University of Oxford and Man Group have worked in collaboration since 2007 when Man Group provided cornerstone funding for the OMI and simultaneously opened its co-located commercial research laboratory. Together, the OMI and Man Group’s lab have provided new educational and commercial employment opportunities for quantitative finance researchers, developing and implementing cutting-edge advances in machine learning within systematic investment management.
Professor Álvaro Cartea, Director of the Oxford-Man Institute, says: “This is a unique opportunity to be part of a world-class research institute. I look forward to working alongside leading academics, young researchers and industry participants to address fundamental problems in quantitative finance with a strong focus on data-driven models.”
Luke Ellis, CEO of Man Group, says: “We are delighted that Professor Álvaro Cartea will be leading the Oxford-Man Institute as Director, and look forward to his deep expertise in quantitative finance and algorithmic trading both strengthening the OMI’s academic research and opening new pathways for collaboration with Man Group. Our unique collaboration with the University of Oxford has enabled the firm to implement real-world applications of cutting-edge quantitative finance research, most recently in machine learning and data analytics, thereby ensuring we remain at the forefront of systematic investing and delivering value for our clients.
Professor Sam Howison, Head of Mathematics, Physics and Life Sciences Division, University of Oxford, added: “I am delighted that Álvaro is taking on the leadership of the OMI at such an exciting time. The OMI’s interdisciplinary focus on quantitative finance, and its highly valued partnership with Man Group, are distinctive on the world stage but very much in keeping with Oxford’s holistic view of science as it tackles the challenges of the 21st century. I wish Álvaro and OMI every success over the coming years.”
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About the Oxford-Man Institute
The Oxford-Man Institute (OMI) of Quantitative Finance is a Research Centre within Information Engineering in the Department of Engineering Science at the University of Oxford. The OMI has a particular focus on alternative investments, machine learning and data-driven science. It carries out academically outstanding research that addresses the key problems facing the financial industry. Its researchers create new tools and methods that can give deeper insight into financial markets – how they behave, how they become stable or unstable, how to extract value from data at scales beyond human and how they could be made to work better. This is achieved through a unique combination of academic innovation and external engagement. Further information can be found at oxford-man.ox.ac.uk.
About the University of Oxford
Oxford University has been placed number 1 in the Times Higher Education World University Rankings for the sixth year running, and at the heart of this success is our ground-breaking research and innovation.
Oxford is world-famous for research excellence and home to some of the most talented people from across the globe. Our work helps the lives of millions, solving real-world problems through a huge network of partnerships and collaborations. The breadth and interdisciplinary nature of our research sparks imaginative and inventive insights and solutions.
Through its research commercialisation arm, Oxford University Innovation, Oxford is the highest university patent filer in the UK and is ranked first in the UK for university spinouts, having created more than 200 new companies since 1988. Over a third of these companies have been created in the past three years. For more information see www.ox.ac.uk.
About Man Group
Man Group is a global, technology-empowered active investment management firm focused on delivering alpha and portfolio solutions for clients. Headquartered in London, we manage $135.3 billion* and operate across multiple offices globally.
We invest across a diverse range of strategies and asset classes, with a mix of long only and alternative strategies run on a discretionary and quantitative basis, across liquid and private markets. Our investment teams work within Man Group’s single operating platform, enabling them to invest with a high degree of empowerment while benefiting from the collaboration, strength and resources of the entire firm. Our platform is underpinned by advanced technology, supporting our investment teams at every stage of their process, including alpha generation, portfolio management, trade execution and risk management.
Our clients and the millions of retirees and savers they represent are at the heart of everything we do. We form deep and long-lasting relationships and create tailored solutions to help meet their unique needs. We recognise that responsible investing is intrinsically linked to our fiduciary duty to our clients, and we integrate this approach broadly across the firm.
We are committed to creating a diverse and inclusive workplace where difference is celebrated and everyone has an equal opportunity to thrive, as well as giving back and contributing positively to our communities. For more information about Man Group’s global charitable efforts, and our diversity and inclusion initiatives, please visit: https://www.man.com/corporate-responsibility
Man Group plc is listed on the London Stock Exchange under the ticker EMG.LN and is a constituent of the FTSE 250 Index. Further information can be found at www.man.com
*As at 30 June 2021. All investment management and advisory services are offered through the investment “engines” of Man AHL, Man Numeric, Man GLG, Man Solutions / FRM and Man GPM.
About Man AHL
Man AHL employs diversified quantitative techniques to offer a range of strategies which encompass traditional momentum, non-traditional momentum, multi-strategy and sector-based approaches. Man AHL’s strategies are primarily alternative and seek to gain potential predictive, alpha-generating insights through rigorous analysis of large data sets.
Man AHL is a specialised engine, applying scientific rigour and advanced technology and execution to a diverse range of data in order to build systematic investment strategies, trading continuously over hundreds of global markets. The team of 150 investment professionals, including 47 researchers, is comprised of scientists, technologists and finance practitioners, driven by curiosity and intellectual honesty, and a passion for solving the complex problems presented by financial markets.
The engine leverages Man Group’s unique collaboration with the University of Oxford, the Oxford-Man Institute of Quantitative Finance (OMI). The OMI conducts field-leading academic research into machine learning and data analytics, which can be applied to quantitative investing.
Founded in 1987, Man AHL’s funds under management were $50.7 billion at 30 June 2021. Further information can be found at www.man.com/ahl.
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