Research
Center for Digital Finance and Technology Announces Inaugural Research Grants
Cohort includes researchers from computer science, industrial engineering and operations research, and finance
The Center for Digital Finance and Technology (CDFT) has announced its inaugural Center Research Grants this summer with projects to begin this fall semester. Established only this past November and led by Agostino Capponi, associate professor of industrial engineering and operations research, the Center is focused on advancing the digital transformation of financial services for higher efficiency and security, increased accessibility, and greater social responsibility.
The Center’s research has been supported by leading Fintech companies and risk management institutions through fellowships and membership agreements, including the Global Risk Institute, the Lenovo Group, Fi-Tek, Amberdata, the Ethereum Foundation, Ripple, the Stellar Blockchain, and Paradigm.
With financial markets undergoing an unprecedented transformation thanks to the advent of digital currencies and new blockchain/smart contract technologies, the Center is working to change the way academic institutions, regulators, and the private sector think about financial services. Technological advances have brought major improvements to the operations of financial services, making them quicker, cheaper, and easier to access. Payment systems have become faster, investment advice is now offered algorithmically, and many borrowing/lending platforms are offering cheaper financing options than banks and credit card companies. The Center includes more than two dozen researchers who are leveraging their multidisciplinary expertise in a broad range of areas, from computer science, engineering, and data science to finance, law, and economics.
“The Center for Digital Finance and Technology is fast becoming a hub for cutting-edge research in fintech,” said Columbia Engineering Dean Shih-Fu Chang. “The winning projects span multiple areas and demonstrate the robust interdisciplinary nature of the Center, with our inaugural awardees coming from several departments and schools at Columbia as well as the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School. We look forward to seeing the results of these exciting and potentially very impactful proposals.”
The winning projects are:
- PI(s): Junfeng Yang (Professor of Computer Science, Columbia Engineering)
“Automating Smart Contract Verification and Monitoring with Learned Invariants” was chosen for funding in the amount of $40,000 through May 31, 2024. - PI(s): Jay Sethuraman (Professor of Industrial Engineering and Operations Research & IEOR Departmental Chair, Columbia Engineering) and Garud Iyengar (Tang Family Professor of Industrial Engineering and Operations Research & Vice Dean for Research and Academic Programs, Columbia Engineering)
“Economics of Marketplace Governance: Competition, Information, and Product Diversity” was chosen for funding in the amount of $40,000 through May 31, 2024. - PI(s): Tim Roughgarden (Professor of Computer Science, Columbia Engineering)
“Designing Transaction Fee Mechanisms to Redistribute MEV” was chosen for funding in the amount of $35,000 through May 31, 2024. - PI(s): Vineet Goyal (Associate Professor of Industrial Engineering and Operations Research, Columbia Engineering)
“Incentivizing Blockchain Adoption in Supply Chains” was chosen for funding in the amount of $40,000 through May 31, 2024. PI(s): Yiming Ma (Associate Professor of Finance, Columbia Business School) and Yao Zeng (Assistant Professor of Finance, The Wharton School, The University of Pennsylvania)
“The Financial Stability Risks and Macroeconomic Implications of Central Bank Digital Currency” was chosen for funding in the amount of $35,000 through May 31, 2024.
Related Event
On October 27-28, 2023, the Center for Digital Finance and Technologies, together with the Briger Family Digital Finance Lab at Columbia Business School, is hosting Tokenomics 2023 - 5th International Conference on Blockchain Economics, Security and Protocols. The forum will focus on the theory, design, analysis, implementation, and applications of platform economics, blockchains, and smart contracts. The conference aims to bring together leading economists, computer science researchers, and industry practitioners who are actively working on advancing the field of blockchain economics and technologies.