Irish Academy of Finance 2027 Conference
The 2027 Irish Academy of Finance conference takes place on 26–27 May at the Europa Hotel in Belfast, Northern Ireland. We welcome submissions from academics researching any area of finance, whether based in Ireland, the UK or internationally.
Venue
Europa Hotel
Belfast, Northern Ireland
Registration
From €350
IAF member universities
Submissions close
15 Jan 2027
Friday
Dates
26–27 May 2027
Wednesday and Thursday
Submit your paper
Send your abstract by Friday 15 Jan 2027. Full papers are preferred, so you can attach a PDF if available.
Keynote speakers
Three plenary sessions, delivered by leading academics.
Private Equity
Ludovic Phalippou
University of Oxford
Ludovic Phalippou is Professor of Financial Economics at Saïd Business School, University of Oxford, and a Fellow of The Queen’s College, Oxford. He is the recipient of the 2026 CFA Institute James R. Vertin Award, recognising a body of research with enduring value to investment professionals. His research focuses on private equity, private credit, valuation, and private market investing, and has been published in leading journals including the Journal of Finance, Review of Financial Studies, Journal of Financial Economics, and Management Science. He is the author of Private Equity Laid Bare and Valuation in Private Markets, and regularly advises governments and major institutional investors on private market investment issues.
Banking
Danny McGowan
Durham University
Danny McGowan is Professor of Finance at Durham University. His research on financial intermediation and real estate markets has been published in journals such as the Review of Financial Studies and the Journal of Financial and Quantitative Analysis. The findings of his work have been cited in various House of Commons inquiries, and by the European Central Bank, International Monetary Fund, and OECD. To date, he has received almost £1 million in research funding from the ESRC, Leverhulme Trust, British Academy and industry.
Financial History
John Turner
Queen’s University Belfast
John Turner is Professor of Finance and Financial History at Queen’s University Belfast and a Senior Research Fellow at the University of Bonn’s Centre for Advanced Studies in Finance and Inequality. His book Boom and Bust: A Global History of Financial Bubbles was published by Cambridge University Press and was a Financial Times Economics Book of the Year in 2020. His latest book, The CEO: The Rise and Fall of Britain’s Captains of Industry, was published by Cambridge University Press in 2025. His next book, Losers: A Global History of Financial Failures, will be published in 2027 by Princeton University Press. His work has also been published in leading journals such as the Journal of Financial Economics, Review of Finance, and Review of Financial Studies.
Sessions
The conference will also be hosting approximately 15 specialist sessions, on themes including:
- AI in Finance
- Asset Pricing
- Banking
- Corporate Finance
- Financial Regulation
- Financial History
- FinTech
- Governance
- Household Finance
- Sustainable Finance
PhD students
A session for PhD students approaching the job market.
A specialist session for PhD students in their penultimate or final year who are approaching the job market. Present your research, receive constructive feedback, practise your presentation, and network with established researchers.
To be considered, submit your paper through the main portal, ticking the PhD student box.
Covered for accepted students
- Public transport costs
- Registration for the main conference
- Accommodation at the Europa Hotel
Registration
Includes attendance, lunch on Wednesday and Thursday, and the conference dinner on Wednesday evening.
IAF member universities
€350
QUB, UCD, UCC, UL, DCU, MU and SETU
All other delegates
€450
Academics from any other institution
Registration form and payment details: to be confirmed.
Stay at the Europa
A discounted rate of £165 per night for a double room, booked directly with the hotel. Booking code to be confirmed. You’re also welcome to stay at any other hotel nearby.
Getting to Belfast
The Europa Hotel is in the city centre, a three-minute walk from Belfast Grand Central station.
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From Dublin
15 trains a day from Dublin Connolly to Belfast Grand Central.
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From London
26 flights a day to Belfast International and Belfast City airports, with regular buses to Belfast Grand Central.
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From Europe
Daily flights from Paris, Amsterdam and Barcelona to Belfast International.
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From the United States and elsewhere
Regular flights from many major cities to Dublin Airport, with regular bus connections to Belfast Grand Central.
Travelling via Dublin? Check you can enter the UK
Belfast is in Northern Ireland, which is part of the United Kingdom. The UK and the Republic of Ireland run separate immigration systems, so a visa for Ireland does not let you enter the UK. If you fly into Dublin and travel north, you will also need permission to enter the UK, even though there are no routine passport checks at the border.
- If you need a visa to visit the UK, apply for a UK Standard Visitor visa before you travel. You apply online and then attend an appointment at a visa application centre to give your fingerprints and photograph. Decisions usually take around three weeks, so please apply early.
- If you don’t need a visa for the UK (for example, citizens of EU countries, the United States, Canada or Australia), you need a UK Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA). You apply online or through the UK ETA app for a small fee; a decision usually takes up to three working days, and it lasts for two years.
- If you live legally in Ireland, you don’t need an ETA when travelling from Ireland, but if your nationality needs a visa for the UK, you still need a UK visa.
- British and Irish citizens don’t need a visa or an ETA.
Rules can change, so please check what you need at gov.uk/check-uk-visa before booking your travel.