LBS professor awarded Honorary Fellowship

Stephen Schaefer is honoured for his contribution to Ca’ Foscari University

Stephen Schaefer, Professor of Finance at London Business School and Academic Director of the AQR Asset Management Institute, has become an Honorary Fellow of Ca’ Foscari University in Venice. 

He received the fellowship for his contribution to the university, which began with a period as a visiting professor in 1991. Since then, he has returned to Venice almost every year and has contributed to the development of Ca’ Foscari’s masters programme in economics and finance.

Professor Schaefer was also instrumental in launching Ca’ Foscari University’s annual CREDIT conference, chairing the inaugural conference in 2002 and another in 2012. 

Commenting on the fellowship, Professor Schaefer said: “I feel both very grateful and privileged to have had the opportunity to collaborate with the faculty and students of Ca’ Foscari. Two students from Ca’ Foscari came to LBS to do their PhDs with me and one of them, Loriana Pelizzon, is now back in Venice as a full professor.”

He added that the annual conference had helped raise the university’s profile, drawing many leading academics – including several from LBS – as well as central bankers, regulators and practitioners. “It started out as an event devoted to credit risk but has broadened out considerably and has gone from strength to strength.” 

Professor Schaefer received the fellowship at a ceremony in Venice, a day before the university’s 16th CREDIT conference. At the event, he gave a lecture on his recent research on the risk of corporate default.