Dr. Aref Mahdavi Ardekani is an Assistant Professor of Finance at DCU Business School, Dublin City University, Ireland. He is also a Visiting Professor of Financial Technology at the University of DHBW Stuttgart, Stuttgart, Germany, and a Visiting Professor of Quantitative Finance at Université de Limoges, Limoges, France. Dr. Mahdavi Ardekani’s research interests include FinTech, Crowdfunding, Blockchain, Financial Economics, Financial Networks, Banking, and Digital Finance.

Dr. Ardekani completed his postdoctoral research in FinTech at the Université Paris 1 Panthéon Sorbonne and Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Paris, France, between 2019 and 2021. He also earned his Ph.D. in Financial Economics with a specialization in Banking and Finance from LAPE, Université de Limoges, France, between 2014 and January 2019.

Dr. Mahdavi Ardekani has authored several publications in esteemed journals such as the European Journal of Operational Research (ABS 4). He has also presented his work at several conferences and seminars worldwide, including the Western Economic Association International (WEAI) conference, Financial Management Association (FMA) Latin American Conference, Midwest Finance Association (MFA) Conference, 29th Australasian Finance and Banking Conference, and Portsmouth-Fordham Conference on Banking and Finance, among others. Dr. Mahdavi Ardekani’s research has received funding and grants, including Technology and Financial (Dis)intermediation funded by ANR (French National Research Agency). He is currently Co-PI with colleagues in the School of Chemical Sciences, DCU, Prof. Mary Pryce and in the University of Strathclyde, Prof Mark Cummins, on the Funded SEAI Irish national research project “Using Digital Financing for R&D Investment in Solar Hydrogen”. He is also a DCU Co-PI for the European project ‘Global Entrepreneurial Management 4 (GETM4)’ which is approved for funding by the European Commission under Horizon Europe – Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions.

He will be happy to consider supervising PhD candidates a wide range of topics in FinTech, Banking and Finance.

Google scholar: https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=MiyAxDQAAAAJ&hl=en

Personal website : https://sites.google.com/view/arefmardekani/home

Research interests: FinTech, Banking, Digital Finance, Financial Economics

Selected Publications:

1- Ardekani, AM.; Distinguin I.; Tarazi, A. (2020): “Do banks change their liquidity ratios based on network characteristics?” European Journal of Operational Research (ABS4 & Scopus Q1) DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ejor.2020.02.011

Received 2016 BUREAU VAN DIJK Award for the Best Paper in Banking.

2- Ardekani, AM.; Bertz, J.; Dowling, M. and Long, S. (2024) “FinSentGPT: A universal financial sentiment engine?” International Review of Financial Analysis (ABS3 & Scopus Q1) DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.irfa.2024.103291

3- Ardekani, AM. (2024) “Liquidity, Interbank network topology and bank capital” Review of Accounting and Finance (ABS2 & Scopus Q1) DOI: https://doi.org/10.1108/RAF-03-2023-0092

4- Wei, T.; Wu, H.; Dowling, M; Ardekani, AM. (2025) "Financial perceptions and AI infringement risks" International Review of Economics & Finance (ABS2 & Scopus Q1) DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.iref.2025.104204