PhDs attend GRASFI Conference at Oxford University

7. September 2019

Foto: Sarah Carroux

Early September, PhD researchers Sarah Louise Carroux and Simone Andrea Wagner attended the 2nd Annual Conference of the Global Research Alliance for Sustainable Finance and Investment (GRASFI), which was held at the University of Oxford from the 3rd until the 6th of September, 2019. The aim of this conference is to foster academic collaboration between researchers working on sustainable finance topics, as well as to nurture the development of graduate students and junior academics working within this field.
Prior to the main conference, Sarah and Simone attended a PhD workshop lead by Professor Paul Smeets of the University of Maastricht (which is also a member university of the GRASFI). During the workshop, both PhD researchers received feedback from their peers and engaged in an interesting and lively discussion on what makes a journal article excellent.
The main conference took place in the prestigious Examination School of the University of Oxford. Built in the 19th century, this magnificent building hosted over 100 academics and practitioners, including 30+ presenters. Presentation topics ranged from stranded assets and financial performance to active ownership and climate risk. The keynote speeches were delivered by Professor John Kay,  St John’s College (University of Oxford), and Professor Colin Mayer, Saïd Business School (University of Oxford).

In this breath-taking setting, it is difficult not to feel inspired. I, in particular, enjoyed the PhD workshop because it fostered a beautiful team dynamic among the PhDs, which sustained throughout the duration of the conference. I am happy to report that I am still in contact with several of them.
(Sarah L. Carroux)

Hosted by the oldest British university, GRASFI was an excellent opportunity to meet top scholars in the field of sustainable finance. At the same time, the encouragement of an active participation in the workshop also enabled me to broaden my network with new researchers in this field.
(Simone A. Wagner)