3rd IAF PhD Conference
at The Johnstown Estate, Enfield, Co. Meath
on Wednesday, 20th May 2026 (starting 2:00 PM)

PhD Conference Schedule PDF click here 

Venue: The Johnstown Estate, Enfield, Co. Meath, Ireland

 14.00 -15.45    Session A: Hoban Suite (1st Floor, Manor House)

Session Chair: Prof. Geraldine Ryan

 14.00-14.35     Yuwei Wang (University College Dublin)

Does Venture Capital and Private Equity Reputation Influence IPO and deSPAC Selection?

Discussant: Dr. Yanyi Wang

14.35-15.10     Kyle Doherty (Maynooth University)

CEO Labour Mobility and Firm Risk: A Causal Analysis of Non Compete Agreement Enforceability

Discussant: Dr. Jiadong Liu

15.10-15.45     Jeffery Dongwei Li (Queens University Belfast)

Innovation Direction and Firm Value: The Role of Disruptive and Consolidating Technologies

Discussant: Dr. Shivam Agarwal

15.45-16.15     Tea/Coffee Break

 16.15-18.00     Session B: Hoban Suite (1st Floor, Manor House)

Session Chair: Prof. Gareth Campbell

 16.15-16.50     Keelan McMahon (University of Limerick)

The Relationship Between ESG Ratings and Financial Risk

Discussant: Dr. Tom Flavin

16.50-17.25     Sherry Ya Gao (Dublin City University)

Cross-Listing, ESG Disclosure and ESG Performance: Does Where Firms Cross-List Matter

Discussant: Dr. Tom O’Connor

17.25-18.00     Le Zheng (Queens University Belfast)

Macroeconomic Conditioning of Momentum Profits: Evidence from 155 Years of UK Equity Markets

Discussant: Dr. John O’Brien

 

The main objective of the conference is to provide PhD students in finance in their in their penultimate or final year who are approaching the job market, with an opportunity to present their research to their peers and leading researchers in the field in order to obtain feedback and practice the presentation of their key research ideas.

Presenting students will be invited as delegates to the main IAF Annual Conference (21-22 May 2026) at the same venue, providing further networking opportunities with senior academics and researchers from Ireland and internationally.

It will allow presenting PhD students to network with senior academics and researchers from Ireland and abroad. We invite submissions of complete papers from PhD students who are registered for their research degree at an institutional member of the IAF and are in their penultimate or final year. The papers can come from any area in finance.

Eligibility & Submission Requirements

  • PhD students registered at IAF institutional member universities
  • Students in their 3rd or 4th year of study (penultimate or final year)
  • Complete papers from any area of finance
  • Students may present at only one IAF PhD conference during their PhD studies
  • Only submissions from current IAF institutional members will be considered (email irishacademyoffinance@gmail.com if you have queries about membership)

Financial Support

The IAF will provide the following for the selected presenters:

  • Public transport travel costs within Ireland (upon receipt submission)
  • Registration fee for the main IAF Annual Conference
  • Accommodation at The Johnstown Estate Lodges (if required)

Programme Committee (alphabetic order)

Dr. Jiadong Liu, Queen’s University Belfast Dr. John O’Brien, University of Cork
Dr. Valerio Poti, University College Dublin Dr. Sandeep Rao, Dublin City University