Man Signs Up For Oxford Quant Class

The University of Oxford and the Man Group today announced the creation of the Oxford-Man Institute of Quantitative Finance. The institute aims to become the world’s leading interdisciplinary academic institute for research in quantitative finance, with a particular emphasis on alternative investments.

The Oxford-based institute will initially house about 20 members—10 full-time researchers and staff, with a further 10 senior faculty members. Members of the institute must already be affiliated with the University of Oxford. Man, the world’s largest hedge fund group, is the sole provider of core funding for the Institute.

Man will donate £10.45 million (US$20.6 million) to the institute over its first five years, with an additional £3.3 million (US$6.5 million) paying for an endowed chair, the Man Professor of Quantitative Finance. In addition to its financial contribution, Man Group will house its own research laboratory in the institute’s building.

“The institute’s primary focus will be on developing research at the forefront of both academic thinking and practical application,” said Peter Clarke, Man Group CEO. “It will also promote and encourage independent teaching and research in relevant methods and techniques associated with quantitative finance.”
 
Neil Shephard, Professor of Economics at the University, has been named as the research director for the institute, and will have managerial oversight of the institute’s activities.

The Institute’s Web site can be found at http://www.oxford-man.ox.ac.uk/.

Oxford, Britain’s oldest university and one of the most august in the world, isn’t just thinking about alternatives. Taking a page from top American universities, which have seen their endowments soar thanks in part to big investments in hedge funds and private equity, Oxford last month hired alternative investments expert Sandra Robertson to serve as its chief investment officer.