Monash-Q Group Finance Colloquium 2026
The growing role of artificial intelligence in investment decision-making and research will be the focus of this year’s colloquium, which examines emerging challenges and innovations shaping modern finance.
The program brings together academics and industry practitioners to discuss new insights into market dynamics, asset pricing, portfolio strategies, and private markets. As in previous years, the colloquium offers a high-level forum for exchanging ideas at the frontier of quantitative finance and investment management.
This event has been jointly hosted by Monash University and the Q group since 2005.
Program
Program: 17 April 2026
View
Presenters
Michael Aked, UBS
A Chartered Financial Analyst, Mr Aked is an investment specialist at UBS Global Wealth Management in Australia, supporting both discretionary and advisory clients across the full spectrum of investment mandates. Drawing on more than three decades of international and institutional investment experience, he specialises in portfolio construction, risk allocation, and the optimization of client solutions. His career has spanned senior roles in Sydney, Tokyo, Chicago, Virginia, California, and Zurich, with expertise in endowment management, equity factor investing, and alternative strategies.
Mr Aked holds a Master’s degree in Mathematical Finance from the University of Chicago, a Master’s degree in Statistics from the University of Virginia, is a CFA charterholder, and serves as a Senior Advisor at Monash University in Melbourne.
Nicole Beevers, Monash Centre for Quantitative Finance
Ms Beevers is a second year PhD student in Monash University’s School of Mathematics and the Centre for Quantitative Finance and Investment Strategies. Her current research examines how insights from unstructured data can improve the understanding of investor behaviour and market dynamics.
She has over a decade of experience in quantitative research, data analysis, and technical computing, including work in quantitative equity portfolio management within the Quantitative Investment Strategies division of a leading South African investment bank.
Ms Beevers holds an MSc in Mathematics from the University of the Witwatersrand and undergraduate degrees in both pure mathematics and English literature. She is also an alumna of the Advanced Risk and Portfolio Management (ARPM) program.
Graeme Bibby, Partners Wealth Group
Mr Bibby joined Partners Wealth Group in July 2021 as Chief Investment Officer, and has more than 25 years investment management experience managing and advising on direct asset and fund of fund portfolios across multiple sectors including superannuation, funds management, asset consulting, insurance and wealth management.
His two most recent roles were as Chief Investment Officer at Mutual Trust, a multi-family office and wealth manager, and Chief Investment Officer at AIA Australia Insurance.
Mr Bibby is qualified in finance and investments, as a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA), Chartered Alternative Investment Analyst (CAIA), Certified Investment Management Analyst (CIMA) and has a Finsia Graduate Diploma in Applied Finance and investments and an MBA.
Dr Arseny Gorbenko, Monash Business School
Dr Gorbenko has been a lecturer in the Department of Banking and Finance since 2021. His main research areas are empirical asset pricing and investments, with a strong focus on short selling and securities lending in an international context. Further details about him and his research are on his personal website.
Berowne Hlavaty, JP Morgan
Mr Hlavaty is the Head of Applied AI and Data Science for the Global Research team. He has 30 years of experience across Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, Big Data, and quantitative, risk and investment strategy. He regularly engages with industry, regulators and academic contacts through a series of conferences and DeepFin tutorials, which give clients access to the latest research and market insights. Mr Hlavaty has a Bachelor’s degree in Materials Engineering and a Master’s degree in Information Science, both from the University of New South Wales. He is an active member of the Q-Group, Sydney.
Dr Michael Kollo, Qualitas
Dr Kollo is a senior investment professional with extensive global academic and private sector experience, most recently on the application of machine learning and AI in the financial services sector.
Dr Kollo gained his PhD in Finance from the London School of Economics, and has lectured at the London School of Economics, Imperial College and at the University of New South Wales. His industry experience is in the application of quantitative statistical methods to improving investment outcomes in a variety of different mandates and organisations.
He has led experienced global research teams at Blackrock, Fidelity, Axa Rosenberg and HESTA.
Jim Trivellas, Deltabeak
Mr Trivellas is a senior investment professional with extensive experience in derivatives trading and pricing, risk management, quantitative portfolio construction and the development of quantitative analytics and related software systems. He has worked in various organisations including Goldman Sachs (London), AXA, NAB, Colonial First State and Future Fund.
George Wang, Monash Business School
Mr Wang is a fifth-year PhD candidate in the Department of Banking and Finance. His research focuses broadly on asset management, with specific interests in fixed-income markets, securities lending, and specialised institutional entities. Prior to his PhD, Mr Wang earned degrees in Chemical Engineering, Econometrics, and Finance.
Dr Yongxin Xu, Monash Business School
Dr Xu is a senior lecturer in the Department of Banking and Finance. His research interests span artificial intelligence, social media, behavioral finance, household finance, and corporate finance, with a particular focus on AI applications in finance and social media's influence on household decision-making. Dr Xu is a co-founder of the Social Finance Hub and serves as a member of the AI in Research Reference Group at Monash Business School. His research has been published in top finance journals, including the Journal of Financial Economics and the Review of Financial Studies.
Sabrina Zhang, Monash Business School
Yiming (Sabrina) Zhang is a PhD candidate in Banking and Finance. Her research focuses on venture capital and political economy, including political alignment in VC allocation and CVC syndication dynamics. She has a keen interest in the application of AI in financial research and industry practice. She has received Purple Letters for teaching excellence. Ms Zhang holds a Master’s degree in Financial Management from the Australian National University and a Bachelor of Commerce from Monash University.
Organisers
A/Prof Philip Gharghori, Monash Business School
An Associate Professor of Finance in the School’s Department of Banking and Finance, and a Q group Melbourne committee member, A/Prof Gharghori has co-organised this colloquium since 2017, in collaboration with Dr Oscar Tian and the Monash Centre for Quantitative Finance.
A/Prof Gharghori’s areas of research are asset pricing and investments. In particular, his research focuses on asset pricing anomalies and multi-factor asset pricing models. He also does research on funds management, informed trading, market reaction to corporate actions, behavioural finance, socially responsible investments and default risk. He is Deputy Editor in Chief of Accounting and Finance, Associate Editor at the Australian Journal of Management, and is a director at the Financial Research Network (FIRN).
A/Prof Ivan Guo, Monash Centre for Quantitative Finance
A/Prof Guo works in Monash University’s School of Mathematics. He is the course director of the Monash Master of Financial Mathematics program and the deputy director of the Monash Centre for Quantitative Finance and Investment Strategies. His research areas include stochastic processes, mathematical finance, optimal transport, and stochastic game theory.
Dr Oscar Tian, Insignia Financial
Dr Tian is a Senior Actuarial Manager at Insignia Financial, as well as the Vice President and Melbourne chair of the Q Group Australia. He is also actively involved in research as a Senior Lecturer at the Monash Centre for Quantitative Finance and Investment Strategies, and an Industry Fellow at UNSW ARC Centre of Excellence in Population Ageing Research. He has co-organised this colloquium since 2018, in collaboration with A/Prof Gharghori and the Monash Centre for Quantitative Finance.
Event Details
- Date:
- 17 April 2026 at 8:30 am – 6:00 pm
- Venue:
- Monash Conference Centre, 30 Collins St, Melbourne, Vic, 3000
- Categories:
- Banking and Finance; General
Description
The growing role of artificial intelligence in investment decision-making and research will be the focus of this year’s colloquium, which examines emerging challenges and innovations shaping modern finance.
The program brings together academics and industry practitioners to discuss new insights into market dynamics, asset pricing, portfolio strategies, and private markets. As in previous years, the colloquium offers a high-level forum for exchanging ideas at the frontier of quantitative finance and investment management.
This event has been jointly hosted by Monash University and the Q group since 2005.
Program
Program: 17 April 2026
View
Presenters
Michael Aked, UBS
A Chartered Financial Analyst, Mr Aked is an investment specialist at UBS Global Wealth Management in Australia, supporting both discretionary and advisory clients across the full spectrum of investment mandates. Drawing on more than three decades of international and institutional investment experience, he specialises in portfolio construction, risk allocation, and the optimization of client solutions. His career has spanned senior roles in Sydney, Tokyo, Chicago, Virginia, California, and Zurich, with expertise in endowment management, equity factor investing, and alternative strategies.
Mr Aked holds a Master’s degree in Mathematical Finance from the University of Chicago, a Master’s degree in Statistics from the University of Virginia, is a CFA charterholder, and serves as a Senior Advisor at Monash University in Melbourne.
Nicole Beevers, Monash Centre for Quantitative Finance
Ms Beevers is a second year PhD student in Monash University’s School of Mathematics and the Centre for Quantitative Finance and Investment Strategies. Her current research examines how insights from unstructured data can improve the understanding of investor behaviour and market dynamics.
She has over a decade of experience in quantitative research, data analysis, and technical computing, including work in quantitative equity portfolio management within the Quantitative Investment Strategies division of a leading South African investment bank.
Ms Beevers holds an MSc in Mathematics from the University of the Witwatersrand and undergraduate degrees in both pure mathematics and English literature. She is also an alumna of the Advanced Risk and Portfolio Management (ARPM) program.
Graeme Bibby, Partners Wealth Group
Mr Bibby joined Partners Wealth Group in July 2021 as Chief Investment Officer, and has more than 25 years investment management experience managing and advising on direct asset and fund of fund portfolios across multiple sectors including superannuation, funds management, asset consulting, insurance and wealth management.
His two most recent roles were as Chief Investment Officer at Mutual Trust, a multi-family office and wealth manager, and Chief Investment Officer at AIA Australia Insurance.
Mr Bibby is qualified in finance and investments, as a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA), Chartered Alternative Investment Analyst (CAIA), Certified Investment Management Analyst (CIMA) and has a Finsia Graduate Diploma in Applied Finance and investments and an MBA.
Dr Arseny Gorbenko, Monash Business School
Dr Gorbenko has been a lecturer in the Department of Banking and Finance since 2021. His main research areas are empirical asset pricing and investments, with a strong focus on short selling and securities lending in an international context. Further details about him and his research are on his personal website.
Berowne Hlavaty, JP Morgan
Mr Hlavaty is the Head of Applied AI and Data Science for the Global Research team. He has 30 years of experience across Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, Big Data, and quantitative, risk and investment strategy. He regularly engages with industry, regulators and academic contacts through a series of conferences and DeepFin tutorials, which give clients access to the latest research and market insights. Mr Hlavaty has a Bachelor’s degree in Materials Engineering and a Master’s degree in Information Science, both from the University of New South Wales. He is an active member of the Q-Group, Sydney.
Dr Michael Kollo, Qualitas
Dr Kollo is a senior investment professional with extensive global academic and private sector experience, most recently on the application of machine learning and AI in the financial services sector.
Dr Kollo gained his PhD in Finance from the London School of Economics, and has lectured at the London School of Economics, Imperial College and at the University of New South Wales. His industry experience is in the application of quantitative statistical methods to improving investment outcomes in a variety of different mandates and organisations.
He has led experienced global research teams at Blackrock, Fidelity, Axa Rosenberg and HESTA.
Jim Trivellas, Deltabeak
Mr Trivellas is a senior investment professional with extensive experience in derivatives trading and pricing, risk management, quantitative portfolio construction and the development of quantitative analytics and related software systems. He has worked in various organisations including Goldman Sachs (London), AXA, NAB, Colonial First State and Future Fund.
George Wang, Monash Business School
Mr Wang is a fifth-year PhD candidate in the Department of Banking and Finance. His research focuses broadly on asset management, with specific interests in fixed-income markets, securities lending, and specialised institutional entities. Prior to his PhD, Mr Wang earned degrees in Chemical Engineering, Econometrics, and Finance.
Dr Yongxin Xu, Monash Business School
Dr Xu is a senior lecturer in the Department of Banking and Finance. His research interests span artificial intelligence, social media, behavioral finance, household finance, and corporate finance, with a particular focus on AI applications in finance and social media's influence on household decision-making. Dr Xu is a co-founder of the Social Finance Hub and serves as a member of the AI in Research Reference Group at Monash Business School. His research has been published in top finance journals, including the Journal of Financial Economics and the Review of Financial Studies.
Sabrina Zhang, Monash Business School
Yiming (Sabrina) Zhang is a PhD candidate in Banking and Finance. Her research focuses on venture capital and political economy, including political alignment in VC allocation and CVC syndication dynamics. She has a keen interest in the application of AI in financial research and industry practice. She has received Purple Letters for teaching excellence. Ms Zhang holds a Master’s degree in Financial Management from the Australian National University and a Bachelor of Commerce from Monash University.
Organisers
A/Prof Philip Gharghori, Monash Business School
An Associate Professor of Finance in the School’s Department of Banking and Finance, and a Q group Melbourne committee member, A/Prof Gharghori has co-organised this colloquium since 2017, in collaboration with Dr Oscar Tian and the Monash Centre for Quantitative Finance.
A/Prof Gharghori’s areas of research are asset pricing and investments. In particular, his research focuses on asset pricing anomalies and multi-factor asset pricing models. He also does research on funds management, informed trading, market reaction to corporate actions, behavioural finance, socially responsible investments and default risk. He is Deputy Editor in Chief of Accounting and Finance, Associate Editor at the Australian Journal of Management, and is a director at the Financial Research Network (FIRN).
A/Prof Ivan Guo, Monash Centre for Quantitative Finance
A/Prof Guo works in Monash University’s School of Mathematics. He is the course director of the Monash Master of Financial Mathematics program and the deputy director of the Monash Centre for Quantitative Finance and Investment Strategies. His research areas include stochastic processes, mathematical finance, optimal transport, and stochastic game theory.
Dr Oscar Tian, Insignia Financial
Dr Tian is a Senior Actuarial Manager at Insignia Financial, as well as the Vice President and Melbourne chair of the Q Group Australia. He is also actively involved in research as a Senior Lecturer at the Monash Centre for Quantitative Finance and Investment Strategies, and an Industry Fellow at UNSW ARC Centre of Excellence in Population Ageing Research. He has co-organised this colloquium since 2018, in collaboration with A/Prof Gharghori and the Monash Centre for Quantitative Finance.