The Executive Board of Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam (VU Amsterdam) has appointed Associate Professor of Finance Norman Seeger as University Chair Professor in the endowed chair Quantitative Finance.
With this appointment, VU Amsterdam strengthens its commitment to education and research in quantitative finance - the mathematical and computational foundations on which modern financial markets increasingly depend - and to the role of the financial sector in the transition to a sustainable and resilient economy.
Financial markets play a crucial role in tackling challenges such as climate change, the energy transition, and the shift toward a more sustainable economy. They are being reshaped at the same time by technological change - from high-frequency data to artificial intelligence - while financial institutions face new risks, regulations, and societal expectations. Making sense of markets this complex and data-intensive calls for rigorous quantitative methods, and it is here - in empirical asset pricing and the analysis of risk, volatility, and derivative markets - that Seeger's research is based.
"The challenges we face require finance professionals who not only possess strong analytical skills, but also understand the societal consequences of financial decisions," says Seeger. "Finance is not an end in itself. It is a powerful instrument for enabling societal change."
Financial expertise for societal challenges
Within his chair, Seeger engages with how financial markets and institutions can contribute to sustainable economic development and adapt to the new technologies - including artificial intelligence - that are transforming the financial system. His own research forms the quantitative core of these markets: empirical asset pricing and quantitative finance, with a sustained focus on volatility, derivative markets, and the risk surrounding scheduled economic announcements.
A key premise of his work is that tomorrow's finance professionals must be able to navigate complex trade-offs between returns, risk, and societal impact. This requires new knowledge, new skills, and a broader perspective on the role of finance in society.
Bridging academia, practice, and policy
Seeger works closely with partners from the financial sector, civil society organizations, and researchers around the world. By combining practical experience with scientific research, the collaboration aims to generate knowledge that can be applied directly in investment, risk management, and sustainable business practices.
VU Amsterdam regards this close connection between academia and practice as essential. Meeting society's expectations of finance calls not only for technological innovation but also for new ways of financing, investing, and valuing economic activity.
Educating the finance professionals of tomorrow
As Director of the MSc Finance programme - some 500 students, six specializations, and around 40 instructors - Seeger places the changing nature of the profession at the heart of his educational agenda. A central question is how artificial intelligence is reshaping finance and, with it, the way finance should be taught: as routine analytical tasks are automated, education must build the critical judgement, creative problem-solving, and responsible and sustainable use of new tools rooted in AI.
An important part of the chair is the development of a new generation of finance professionals who place social responsibility at the heart of their work. Through the Climate and Sustainable Finance programme he founded - built together with the VU Institute for Environmental Studies (IVM) and supported by an industry ambassador network - students learn not only financial models and analytical techniques, but also how financial decisions relate to climate objectives, sustainability, and societal impact. The programme brings together expertise in finance, sustainability, and public policy, and reflects VU Amsterdam's ambition to educate professionals who can help solve the major challenges of our time.
Quantitative finance with societal responsibility
With the appointment of Norman Seeger, VU Amsterdam is investing in an education and research agenda that connects financial expertise with societal responsibility. His work aims to deepen understanding of how markets price risk and process information, to prepare students for a profession being reshaped by artificial intelligence, and to strengthen the contribution finance can make to a more sustainable and resilient economy.