Carol Alexander

Research Council at Exponential Science and Professor of Finance at University of Sussex

Speaker

Carol Alexander is a world-leading expert in crypto-asset markets, derivatives, financial risk management, and decentralized finance. She is Professor of Finance at the University of Sussex Business School and a Research Council Member at the Exponential Science Foundation. Renowned for bridging academia and industry, Carol is also the creator of the established “Professor Carol Alexander” YouTube channel, where -- most recently -- she has been lecturing on the applications of generative AI to education, and its impact on society.

Carol’s expertise spans market microstructure, volatility modelling, benchmarking, investment strategies, and portfolio risk analysis. Her best-selling four-volume text, Market Risk Analysis (Wiley, 2008), remains a core reference in the field. She served as Editor of the Journal of Banking and Finance for a decade until 2023, and has played a key role on the Bachelier Prize Committee and the Steering Committee for the Centre for Financial Industries at the Fields Institute. Carol sits on several advisory boards for leading exchanges and fintechs, and has acted as expert witness in high-profile cases of crypto market manipulation and financial misconduct.

Carol has consulted widely for major asset managers, banks, and exchanges—including the New York Stock Exchange, Intercontinental Exchange, and FTX US—designing and implementing cutting-edge models for trading, hedging, and risk management. She previously held senior industry roles as Director and Head of Market Risk Modelling at Nikko Securities, Director at Algorithmics Inc. (the pioneering global risk software firm), and Bond Analyst at Phillips & Drew, City of London. She continues to advise the finance sector and regulatory bodies worldwide.

A thought leader on the risks and opportunities of AI and digital assets, Carol is frequently featured in international media—appearing on television, radio, and top business podcasts to discuss market structure, crypto regulation, systemic risk, and the future of finance. She leads research projects on the regulatory implications of excessive leverage, price discovery in crypto markets, and the integration of AI tools in financial risk education.

Carol holds a BSc in Mathematics with Experimental Psychology and a PhD in Algebraic Number Theory from the University of Sussex, and an MSc in Mathematical Economics and Econometrics from the London School of Economics.