Close
Our team of industrial professors bring real-word experience to the teaching on our programmes
Dr Brian Healy
Dr听Brian Healy is an Industrial Professor at IFT. He has more than 25 years experience in financial markets as a trader and quantitative analyst and has acted as a consultant for clients in the hedge fund industry, structured finance, private equity, venture capital and asset backed finance. He is a founder and or C-level executive of a number of startups focusing on financial technology, artificial intelligence, anomaly detection and predictive modelling and acts as an advisor to a variety of tech incubators.
Email: b.healy@ucl.ac.uk
听
Budha Bhattacharya听
Budha is an Industrial Professor at the Institute of Finance and Technology (IFT) at University College London (UCL), where he teaches modules in Banking and Digital Finance and Responsible Finance master's programs. With over twenty years in Capital Markets, he has held significant roles at leading tier-one investment banks, including UBS, Goldman Sachs, JPMorgan, and Bank of America, and a stint at a Big Four consultancy firm.
Before Lombard Odier, he was pivotal in developing ESG IQ, KPMG's flagship ESG Big Data analytics platform, in collaboration with data scientists, engineers, and Google.
Email:听budha.bhattacharya.18@ucl.ac.uk听
听
Luca Cocconcelli
Dr Luca Cocconcelli is an Industrial Professor at IFT, where he teaches Big Data in Quantitative Finance. Luca holds a PhD in Applied Finance from University College London and an MSc in Statistics from University of Bologna. He is Data Analytics Manager at the London Clearing House (Part of London Stock Exchange Group) where he covers Equity and Fixed Income in the Risk & Innovation team.
Before joining LCH, Luca worked in M&G Investments in Risk Modelling and Analytics for Equity in the Portfolio Construction and Risk division and as a quant risk analyst in a boutique Investment Management (Massena Investment Management). Luca spent 7 years in academia and developed a number of collaboration with international institutions such as the European Investment Bank, World Bank and European Commission.
Email: l.cocconcelli@ucl.ac.uk
听
Piero Mazzarisi
Piero Mazzarisi is Industrial Professor at IFT. He is also听Assistant Professor in Applied Mathematics at Scuola Normale Superiore (SNS) in Pisa, Italy. He is involved in many research projects in financial mathematics, including collaborations with industry and the Italian regulator of financial markets ().
Piero's research interests fall mainly in the intersection of discrete mathematics with other fields, including statistics, probability, and statistical physics. His specific focus is听the modelling of time series of networks and, more broadly, time series analysis.
Recently, he has investigated new applications of machine learning techniques and neural networks to solve problems of statistical inference with approximate methods. He has an MSc in听Theoretical Physics and a PhD in Financial Mathematics, with a thesis on dynamic network models, with applications to finance and a focus on the study of the dynamics of interbank networks.听
Email:听piero.mazzarisi@sns.it
听
Francesco Cuccovillo听
Francesco Cuccovillo is an Industrial Professor at the UCL - Institute of Finance and Technology, where he teaches 'Principles of Corporate Finance and Asset Valuation' on the MSc in Banking and Digital Finance.听He has over 20 years of experience in Markets, holding multiple leadership positions with a strong track record managing European and global businesses and a focus on cross-asset derivatives and solutions, structured and asset backed finance, secured funding. Francesco is currently a Managing Director at Wells Fargo, Corporate and Investment Banking where he is responsible for the Financing & Solutions business in International Markets as well as serving as Global Co-Head of Secured Credit Trading. Prior to Wells Fargo, Francesco was a Partner and Head of Financing and Alternatives at Channel Capital Advisors. Before joining Channel, he was Global Co-Head of Investment, Financing and Solutions at Natwest Markets and he led Structuring as well as Structured Finance & Special Situations Trading in the Global Markets division at Nomura for EMEA. Previously, Francesco was Co-Head of Credit Structuring at Lehman Brothers for Europe, Middle East and Africa. Francesco also held a variety of structuring and trading roles for HSBC and RBC Capital Markets.
Francesco has taken part as speaker or panelist at frequent industry conferences and seminars. He has lectured in various undergraduate, post-graduate and executive courses subjects related to fixed income and credit markets, asset management, risk and derivatives. Francesco received a Degree in Economics cum laude from LUISS (Rome) and he is a CFA charterholder.
Email:听f.cuccovillo@ucl.ac.uk听
听
Cagatay Bircan
听Dr Cagatay Bircan is an Industrial Professor at IFT and teaching Valuation in Private Equity and Venture Capital. He is also Lead Research Economist at the Office of the Chief Economist at the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD). At the EBRD, he conducts academic research and various types of policy work in the areas of banking, entrepreneurial finance, organisational economics, development, and trade.
His current research is on knowledge work in teams and multinationals, value creation in private equity, and entrepreneurship in emerging markets. Prior to joining the EBRD, Cagatay was a Fixed Income Strategist and Economist at Bank of America Merrill Lynch, covering EMEA markets. He holds a BA in Economics, German, and Mathematics from Williams College, and MA and PhD degrees in Economics from the University of Michigan.
Email:听cagatay.bircan.18@ucl.ac.uk
Dr Drago Indjic
Dr Drago Indjic is an Industrial Professor at IFT, where he teaches courses on the听MSc Venture Capital and Private Equity with Financial Technology. He is Managing Director of Oxquant听and Dozent at the Computing Faculty RAF Belgrade. He was awarded a PhD in 1995 from Imperial College London and held senior roles at hedge funds before co-founding tech start-ups across Europe.
Drago is EU expert for machine learning听and听co-editor of the 'Legaltech' book for Wiley (2020). He taught at several leading business schools before his appointment at 皇家华人 IFT.
Email: d.indjic@ucl.ac.uk
Khalid Naji
Khalid also managed high-tech projects in Advanced Biofuels, Sustainable Marine Fisheries, Solar Testing, Carbon Capture & 听Robotic Surgery Training (later successfully spun-off & integrated into the Qatari national hospital system with thousands of medical doctors trained). Khalid holds a BEng in Civil Engineering from University College London (UCL), an MS in Civil & Environmental Engineering 鈥� Sustainable Design & Construction from Stanford University and an MBA from Stanford University鈥檚 Graduate School of Business in California.
Email: k.naji@ucl.ac.uk
听
Max Vermorken
Max is an Industrial Professor at IFT. He co-founded SigmaRoc plc in August 2016 as a SPAC and has since served as its CEO. In this capacity he developed and implemented the Invest Improve Integrate Strategy and platform-based business model of the SigmaRoc Group. The group has grown both organically and through acquisition across 12 countries in Northern Europe, building up a strong asset base and a strong financial performance.
Prior to SigmaRoc, Max was strategic advisor to the CEO of Holcim Northern Europe, the world鈥檚 largest construction materials group. His role included responsibility for the merger of Lafarge SA and Holcim Ltd in the region involving the only Day 1 integration of the two major businesses following the hive-down and integration of two large asset portfolios 鈥� a mix which included cement plants and down-stream assets. Prior to working for LafargeHolcim, Max worked in private equity and venture capital at Luxembourg-headquartered Genii Group, working directly to its founding principals Gerard Lopez, co-founder of Mangrove VC and Eric Lux a major real estate developer and industrial investor.
Max holds a PhD in Financial Economics from University College London and Bachelor and Master degrees in both Civil Engineering and Financial Economics from University College London and the University of Brussels, respectively.
Email: maxvermorken@gmail.com
Amin Amal-Lee
Email: TBA
听
Dr Hakan Lucius
Dr Hakan Lucius is Chief Sustainability Officer at the EIB, the European Union鈥檚 bank and the largest Multilateral Financial Institution of the World. 听He possesses more than 25 years of sustainability experience in finance, in particular through the structuring of multiple billions of euros of investments, through both, loans and equity throughout his career.听
Academically, Dr Lucius specializes in sustainable finance and has published articles in multiple languages. He received his Ph.D. with distinctions in industrial economics, his MBA from INSEAD in Finance, France, and his MSc in Engineering from Vienna Technical University. He is an internationally acclaimed speaker, quoted by the Financial Times and Reuters, and has lectured in over 20 countries across Europe, Asia, and in the US.
Prof. Dr. Lucius is also Board Member of the Luxembourg Fund Labelling Agency, Luxflag; member of the European Financial Reporting Advisory Group, EFRAG on the European Sustainability Reporting Standards, ESRS; member of the ISSB Technical Reference Group; the European Commission鈥檚 Ecolabel expert group for sustainable finance; and former President and current member of the European Investment Bank鈥檚 Pension Board听听 听
Email:听h.lucius@ucl.ac.uk听
听
Rebecca Macdonald
Rebecca MacDonald is an Industrial Professor at IFT, where she teaches social enterprise and impact investing. She is Head of Investment Management at UK impact investor Big Society Capital focusing on how it manages its portfolio, a Non-Executive Director of Charity Bank, and a member of Trust for London鈥檚 endowment Investment Committee.
Rebecca also has experience working in and with social enterprises receiving impact capital, designing UK Government policy to enable impact-led financing to tackle climate change, and supporting asset manager M&G with its impact investment strategy and the launch of a 拢5 billion broad impact mandate. She is committed to advancing education in impact investing, including as Chair of the CFA UK鈥檚 Impact Investment Certificate and as a member of the Impact Investing Institute鈥檚 Learning Panel.
Rebecca is a CFA (Chartered Financial Analyst) and holds the CFA Certificate in ESG Investing and an MSc in International Development from SOAS, specialising in how social enterprises support development outcomes.听
Email:听rmacdonald@bigsocietycapital.com
Jeremy Rogers
Email: TBA
Dr Thomas Schr枚der
Dr Thomas Schr枚der is an Industrial Professor at IFT. He听has worked听with the European Investment Bank (EIB) for more than twenty years, starting as an economist in the Chief Economist鈥檚 Department, thereafter in front-office functions in the Capital Markets Department and more recently as a Managerial Adviser in the Strategy, Policies & Business Support Department.听He has been acquiring extensive experience in the primary bond markets, usage of derivatives for hedging purposes, counterparty credit risk and other financial markets and risk management issues.
Prior to joining the EIB, he worked as a management consultant with McKinsey & Company, Frankfurt, where he gained insights in the iron and steel, postal services and insurance industries.
Dr. Schr枚der has been publishing in highly rated academic journals in the fields of finance, economics and physics. He has been teaching finance at various universities in Luxembourg, Germany and the UK for more than ten years. He studied at the universities of Cologne, Heidelberg and Keele and received PhD听degrees in both physics and economics.
Email: t.schroeder@ucl.ac.uk
Ronald van Loon
Ronald is an Industrial Professor at the Institute of Finance and Technology (IFT) at University College London (UCL), where he teaches the course 鈥楺uantitative Environmental Economics and Finance鈥� in the M.Sc. program of Responsible Finance and Alternative Assets.
He has over 20 years of experience in a variety of roles in investing, all of which in the bond markets. Ronald is currently Managing Director at BlackRock, in the firm鈥檚 Fundamental Fixed Income Portfolio Management Group. Ronald focuses on managing Aggregate multi-sector portfolios, portfolios with specific ESG and Impact objectives, and Liability Driven Investment. Before joining BlackRock in 2011, he was the Deputy Head of Eurozone Fixed Income for BNP Paribas Asset Management. Prior to that, he was with Fortis Investments as Head of Client Portfolio Management and ABN AMRO Asset Management as Head of Portfolio Management for Fixed Income.
Ronald earned a M.Sc. degree in Financial Economics from Erasmus University Rotterdam and is a CFA charterholder. He has authored a number of academic articles on investment matters in the Journal of Portfolio Management and has published a series of practitioner papers on matters such as sustainability, risk management and behavioural finance.
Email: TBA
John Cummins听听 听听听 听听听 听
Industrial Director
Email: TBA
Peyman Mestchian听
Research Director
Peyman is a Research Director and Industrial Professor at IFT, where he teaches the "Foundations of Venture Capital and Private Equity" course in the MSc program. With over 25 years of experience in finance, risk, and technology, Peyman specializes in FinTech, AI, and Venture Capital. He currently serves as Head of Corporate Development at Quantexa, a data and analytics startup that achieved unicorn status in 2023. In this role, he focuses on strategy analysis and mergers & acquisitions. Throughout his career, Peyman has founded, raised capital for, scaled, and successfully exited multiple startups. He has also held senior leadership roles at Chartis Research, EY, and SAS Institute, and is a Fellow of the Institute of Risk Management.
Peyman has a BEng in Computer Engineering and MSc in Human Computer Interaction from University of London, and an MBA from London Business School. His research and views have been published by leading publications such as the Economist, the Financial Times and Risk Books.
Email:听
听
Domenico Scopelliti
听
For over 15 years, he worked as a football agent in the main European markets, assisting several footballers both in transfers to clubs and as a legal consultant. He has also collaborated with various tennis players providing support in the field of sponsorships and legal contracts.
听
He is currently collaborating with Belluzzo International Partners in London as a sports lawyer. Through his connections and his extensive knowledge of the industry, he has organised various workshops on different sports-related topics.
Email: TBA
Giulia Rosato
Her career spans various roles, including Finance Business Partner at large public corporations (CNH and Thomson Reuters), and private equity-owned companies (Refinitiv). She also has experience as a Change-Management Specialist during a global system implementation (CNH). With extensive international exposure, she has been based in Hong Kong, the United States, Italy, and the UK, collaborating with product development, manufacturing, and technology operations teams.
Giulia is currently CFO at Endelea, an ethical fashion B Corp based in Italy and Tanzania. This ambitious project puts the Theory of Change into practice. She also founded Impact2Bee, an initiative focused on promoting social impact and governance themes. Additionally, she serves as a Mentor for Urban Synergy and is a Board Trustee and Finance Committee member of the Parallel Learning Trust.
Email: TBA
Philippe Dufournier
Philippe now boasts over 30 years in leadership positions across a number of globally important investment banks, primarily in London. His career has been focused on the structuring, sales and origination of innovative derivatives and capital markets transactions for European large cap corporates, financial institutions, governments and investment funds.