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An intellectual hub of innovative ideas and critical analysis of AI modelling in risk management
We live in an era where scientific fields are overwhelmingly impacted by AI, becoming ever more reliant on it, and finance is no exception. Although the use of AI in financial modelling has already begun and the prospects are promising, the complexity of AI algorithms entails that it is not clear how and to what extent such algorithms will reshape the world of finance. To face these challenges, now more than ever, a thorough analysis and investigations of these models with innovative ideas and solutions are required.
Mission
The Artificial Intelligence Risk Laboratory (AIRiskLab) is committed to leveraging AI modelling and algorithms in risk management and study their long- and medium-term impacts on financial stability and sustainability, based on a broad interpretation of risk in finance. AIRiskLab will be at the forefront of this challenge and will provide a blend of cutting edge solutions and advice, as an intellectual hub of innovative ideas and critical analysis of AI modelling in risk management.
The lab was founded and is currently led by Dr Ramin Okhrati, a full-time faculty member of the Institute of Finance & Technology (IFT).
- Academic and Advisory Members
Dr Ramin Okhrati is the head of the AIRiskLab at IFT. He is also a full-time faculty member of the Institute and the Programme Director of the MSc Banking and Digital Finance. He has extensive experience in theoretical and computational finance (driven by AI and machine learning methods) and financial technologies both from industrial (through consultancy and collaboration) and academic perspectives. His background is in mathematical finance; he holds a BSc, an MSc in Mathematics, and a PhD in Applied Probability with concentration in actuarial and finance. Beside his academic position, he also collaborates with the Bank of England as a senior researcher. He has publications in leading international journals and a wide range of research interests, in particular, in machine learning, digital finance, credit risk, insurance, stochastic analysis, and applied probability. Before joining UCL, he worked at the mathematical sciences of the University of Southampton, UK, and a held a one-year postdoctoral fellowship at the Financial and Actuarial Mathematics group of Vienna University of Technology in Vienna, Austria.
Prof Francesca Medda is Director and Professor of Applied Economics and Finance at UCL IFT. Professor Medda's key research areas are digital finance, impact & sustainable finance, and urban & infrastructure investments.
Dr Aldo Lipani is a Lecturer (Assistant Professor) in Machine Learning. Aldo is a member of the SpaceTimeLab led by Prof. Tao Cheng and of the Web Intelligence Group led by Prof. Emine Yilmaz. Previously, Aldo was a postdoctoral research at UCL. Aldo received his Ph.D. in Computer Science from the TU Wien (Austria) with the dissertation titled: “On Biases in Information Retrieval Models and Evaluation” under the supervision of Prof. Allan Hanbury and Dr. Mihai Lupu. He has furthered his studies at the: National Institute of Standard and Technologies (NIST) in Gaithersburg, Microsoft Research Cambridge, University of Glasgow, University of Amsterdam, and National Institute of Informatics (NII) in Tokyo.
- PhD students
Raad Khraishi is a PhD student at IFT. He has several years of industry experience in data science and finance and is currently Lead Data Scientist within the Data Science & Innovation team at NatWest Group.
Pin Ni is a PhD student at IFT. His current research interests include Deep Learning, Natural Language Processing, Knowledge Graph, FinTech, Medical Informatics, etc. He has served as a reviewer in NLP, AI, Information Retrieval, Database, FinTech, Medical Informatics and other computer science fields’ top venues. He has also served as co-PI, co-I, convener and core member for several government and enterprise key research projects in different countries.
Zihao Liu is a PhD student and teaching assistant at IFT. He holds double Masters’ degrees in Financial Engineering and Banking and Digital Finance. With strong interests in ESG (Environment, Social and Governance) and green finance, Zihao’s current research interests include ESG investing, climate change Finance and Green Finance by the supporting of Machine Learning. ESG related topics are studied by many academic researchers but there is still no consistent conclusion on ESG investing. His aim is to enhance the field of ESG research and extend the research to the climate changing financial market with new solutions. Zihao is also a FRM charter holder with internship in Quantexa as a data analyst.
Viktor Kazakov is a treasury professional with more than 11 years of experience working in the private and IFI sectors. He has vast experience in varied areas such as asset liability management, structuring of interest rate and cross currency swaps, fixed income portfolio management and project finance. Viktor currently works at the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development in London where he has the dual role of being responsible for building in-house web and VBA applications as well as for advising internal and external clients and structuring deals. Also, he is a CFA Charter holder with a post-master degree from Sciences Po, Paris and a Master's Degree from the University of Sofia.
Daniil Bargman is a PhD student at IFT. He is also a director at the Chief Investment Office of UBS Global Wealth Management with nearly 10 years of professional experience in the investment industry. Daniil's specialities are macroeconomic scenario analysis, portfolio risk management, and multi-asset investment research. Daniil holds a dual MSc in Finance and International Management from the Stockholm School of Economics.