Interview with our Director, Professor Francesca Medda

UCL Professor of Applied Economics and Finance, Francesca Medda, is founding Director of the Institute of Finance and Technology. Her key research areas are digital finance, impact & sustainable finance, and urban & infrastructure investments.

We sat down with Professor Francesca Medda to discuss her career, the Institute and its vision.

 

Q. What does being Director of the Institute of Finance and Technology involve?

It is difficult to pin down exactly what I do on a day-to-day basis – thus far, my role varies and every day is different! I developed this programme expressly to provide students with courses that combine industry with academia – that idea became the overarching umbrella for the entire programme and everything sits underneath it. As these are early days for the programme, I’m working with the department to ensure that the courses meet the highest UCL standards. I’m also speaking with students interested in taking part, as well as liaising with the lecturers. Each day offers new opportunities and – at times – new challenges to overcome. Setting up a new programme is never easy, but I’m very satisfied with the depth and scope of the courses and the interest is overwhelming! My own research comprises another part of my role. Three key emphases: digital finance, impact and sustainable finance, and urban and infrastructure investments means that my research dovetails nicely with the themes of the programme.

Q. Tell us a little bit about yourself – what is your professional and educational background?

My studies have taken me across Europe. My undergraduate degree is in Engineering at a university in Italy. I then moved to London and studied Economics at the London School of Economics (LSE), and from there I went to Amsterdam to continue my studies in Economics at the Tinbergen Institute. I was already working in finance when I started my career in academia. My first position was at LSE, with a move to UCL a few years later. I am also an economic adviser to the UK Ministry of Environment and Agriculture (Defra) and the Ministry of Finance (HM Treasury).

Q. What makes you so excited about this new programme?

The whole programme is exciting and relevant, I’m not sure I can name just one thing! But I think what is most significant for me is that the programme is something that hasn’t been done before at UCL– a true collaboration between industry and academia. Also, I think that the most exciting thing for students and staff is that we’re teaching the ‘full picture’. Instead of just learning what Bitcoin is, for example, or how it’s used now, students are taught how the monetary system was set up in the first place, how that led to Bitcoin and the potential future uses of this system. To be able to successfully predict where we’re going, we need to know where we’ve been and what is happening now – that is what we’re striving to teach.

Q. Who do you think should be applying?

This is a programme for postgraduate students, so those who have already completed a degree. On top of that, I think the ideal student for this programme is someone who is curious to learn, who likes change, but who also wants to lead that change. This programme doesn’t just teach the ABCs of finance and business. It teaches one how to spot opportunities, how to adapt quickly to an ever-changing environment, and how to gain success – for yourself, and to build success for your community. There is the misconception that finance is not available or accessible to everyone, and that it comes at the cost sometimes of sustainability, cultural heritage and the environment. Finance is simply a tool that can be used to the benefit of all. It helps to build the wealth of all, and when used properly, it will build opportunities for everyone.

Visit Prof Medda’s UCL IRIS profile 
Contact Professor Medda: f.medda@ucl.ac.uk