CBS establishes award for the best upcoming research talents in finance

The Center for Financial Frictions (FRIC) has established a new international award for the most promising young researchers in finance. The prize is entitled the Top Finance Graduate Award, and the first ceremony will take place on May 31, 2013, where the winning PhD graduates from universities such as Harvard, Berkeley, Stanford, Chicago and HEC will visit CBS.

- It is our ambition to establish a network for the youngest, most brilliant researchers in finance and put CBS on the map, says Professor Lasse Heje Pedersen, who is the initiator of the Top Finance Graduate Award, which was inspired by the Review of Economic Studies Tour, an award for promising young economists. The ceremony is sponsored by a grant from Danmarks Nationalbank.

A unique international prize
According to Lasse Heje Pedersen, this prize does not have an international equivalent, and the award has therefore created a great deal of excitement in the research environments within finance. It has been very easy to attract some of the most prominent researchers for the award selection committee, and the current committee members include Nicholas Barberis from Yale University, Patrick Bolton from Columbia University, John Campbell from Harvard University, Darrell Duffie from Stanford University, and Toby Moskowitz from Chicago University.

The committee has nominated five PhD students, who are about to finalize their research. They will all finish their degree in the summer of 2013 and have been offered positions at leading universities. In addition to the honor of receiving the award, each of the five PhD students will also receive 1500 EUR as prize money.

- With the Top Finance Graduate Award, we intend to give these young research talents a forum in which to present their research, give inspiration to others and, during the course of a few days, get to know CBS and each other. This will hopefully generate ideas for new research that arise in the meeting between these talented minds in finance, says Lasse Heje Pedersen.