Alain Wouassom

Project title:
"Momentum / contrarian trading strategies: Implication for risk-sharing and informational efficiency of security markets"

Research environment at QMUL and at the School of Business and Management

The research environment in Queen Mary University is excellent. The School of Business Management create a supportive environment, while the Centre for Academic and Professional Sevelopment provides essential training and workshops to help research students to develop skills, and to relate theory to practice. The supportive supervisors also helped increase my wiliness to do more in my research.

In addition, working with leading scholars such Professor Gulnur Muradoglu and Dr Nick Tsitsianis has allowed me to win some of the prestigious grants in the field: the 2015 Doctoral travel grant from the American Finance Association, the Post Graduate Research Fund from the University of London, and the Behavioural Finance Working Group Conference fee waiver sponsored by ICAEW.

Thanks to the Behavioural Finance Working Group for providing me with the necessary financial support during my PhD studies.

What have you enjoyed most about the PhD programme?

I work mainly on momentum and contrarian trading strategies, I learn, test and explain their profitability globally, and I find this research interesting. I also enjoyed travelling around the world with the support of the School of Business and Management, delivering research papers from one conference to another.

What was your motivation for studying for a PhD?

I decided to embark on a PhD to pursue what I consider to be great ideas, and perhaps make a contribution to the field. I love science and wish to change the way we look at financial trading.

For anyone considering applying for a PhD at QMUL, I would stress the importance of your relationship with your supervisors. Don't be afraid to approach a potential supervisor directly, and remember that they are essential to building a successful academic career.

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