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ProfCarol Alexander

Professor of Finance (Accounting and Finance)

University of Sussex Business School

BIO

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 “Professor Carol Alexander” YouTube channel, where she explores the impact of generative AI on finance, education, and 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 variable leverage tokens, price discovery in Bitcoin derivatives, 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.

 

ACADEMIC POSITIONS

  • Visiting Professor
    Peking University, HSBC Business School, Oxford, UK1 Jan 2019 - 31 Dec 2024
  • Co-Editor of Journal of Banking and Finance
    Reed Elsevier (Netherlands), Finance, Amsterdam, Netherlands1 Jan 2013 - 1 Jan 2023
  • Reserarch Council
    Exponential Science, United Kingdom1 May 2024

DEGREES

  • BSc
    University of Sussex, Brighton, United Kingdom3 Sep 1973 - 31 Jul 1976
  • MSc
    London School of Economics and Political Science, London, United Kingdom2 Sep 1985 - 31 Jul 1987
  • PhD
    University of Sussex, Brighton, United Kingdom1 Sep 1976 - 11 Jan 1980

FIELDS OF RESEARCH