Inside the EDHEC PhD in Finance: A Week in London
From 28 September to 3 October, London became a meeting point for the EDHEC PhD in Finance community, bringing together students, alumni and faculty for a week of specialised courses, thought-provoking seminars and informal conversations.
For participants, it was a chance to step away from their usual professional environment, explore new areas of finance and exchange ideas with peers from different markets and generations. It was also a reflection of what makes the programme distinctive: bringing experienced finance professionals together with leading faculty in an international setting.
Advanced elective courses with international faculty
The week featured two advanced elective courses for students in their second year and beyond, as well as alumni of the programme.
One of the faculty members teaching in London was Dacheng Xiu, Professor of Finance at the University of Chicago Booth School of Business, who delivered a course on Financial Machine Learning.
Paul Ehling, from BI Norwegian Business School also joined the week to teach a course on Government Debt, giving participants the opportunity to examine another specialised area of finance in depth.
These intensive courses brought participants into direct contact with internationally recognised faculty and created space for discussion around complex questions in finance. They also allowed experienced professionals to bring perspectives from their own markets and professional backgrounds into the conversation.
Two research seminars exploring the latest questions in finance
Alongside the elective courses, the week featured two one-hour research seminars, delivered online and open to a wider audience.
The first was led by Dacheng Xiu, who presented “Completions, Not Convictions: Can LLM Probabilities Proxy for Human Beliefs?”.
The second seminar was led by Mirco Rubin, Director of the EDHEC PhD in Finance, who presented “Do Public Equities Span Private Equity Returns?”.
From financial machine learning and artificial intelligence to investor beliefs and private market returns, the two seminars explored questions at the forefront of finance and offered a glimpse into the breadth of expertise and ideas connected to the programme.
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A community that extends beyond the classroom
The week in London was also an opportunity for students, alumni and faculty to spend time together outside the classroom, with informal lunches and dinners throughout the week.
Participants in the programme come from a wide range of professional backgrounds and countries, including South Africa, the United States, Germany, Italy, India and many others.
Bringing together experienced finance professionals from different markets and generations creates a unique environment for sharing perspectives, experiences and ideas. Over time, these connections become part of a wider international network that extends across cohorts and beyond the programme itself.
A part-time format designed around professional careers
The week also illustrated how the Part-Time PhD in Finance is designed to fit alongside demanding professional careers.
Delivered across EDHEC’s London and Nice campuses over three years, the programme includes around 40 days on campus throughout the programme, allowing experienced professionals to continue working while pursuing advanced development in finance.
The combination of specialised courses, international faculty, seminars and a highly experienced peer community creates an environment for professionals looking to deepen their expertise, broaden their perspective and engage with some of the most important questions shaping the financial industry.
The EDHEC PhD in Finance community returns to London
The next opportunity to experience this community in London will be on 19 January 2027, when the EDHEC PhD in Finance Forum & Graduation Ceremony takes place at Goldsmiths’ Hall.
We invite you to join us for this exclusive event and meet EDHEC faculty, current students, newly graduated participants and alumni, alongside two distinguished guest speakers: Xavier Gabaix, Professor at Harvard University, and Nick Baltas, Managing Director at Goldman Sachs and Visiting Researcher at Imperial Business School.
The day will also feature three alumni talks, a lunch and the graduation ceremony, offering an opportunity to exchange with leading voices in finance and connect with experienced professionals from across the EDHEC PhD in Finance community.
Join us in London on 19 January 2027 and experience the community behind the EDHEC PhD in Finance.
