Heriot-Watt University, Edinburgh, Scotland, has conferred an honorary professorship upon Mary Pieterse-Bloem (Professor of Financial Markets at Erasmus School of Economics) in the School of Social Sciences for the coming three years.
Receiving the title of Honorary Professor is a prestigious recognition granted to individuals who have made significant contributions to a particular field, university, or academic community, even if they aren’t formally employed by the institution.
Pioneering decarbonisation finance research
Mary Pieterse-Bloem is actively participating in a research project that has emerged from a major decarbonisation research initiative, led by Heriot-Watt University and funded by the UK Research and Innovation’s Industrial Decarbonisation Research and Innovation Centre (IDRIC). The goal of this initiative is to advance the UK’s efforts toward net zero.
The project is groundbreaking work in decarbonisation finance, sometimes referred to as transition finance. Pieterse-Bloem aims to explore the liquidity and functionality of the green corporate bond market, a crucial component of private capital finance for the green transition. The project is a collaborative effort led by researchers from Heriot-Watt University, including Professor Dimitris Christopoulos and Dr David Dekker, along with Dr Amir Amel-Zadeh from Oxford Saïd Business School, and Rik Lustermans, a PhD candidate at VU Amsterdam and alumnus of Erasmus School of Economics.
Insights into the structural challenges and opportunities in green financial markets
The team's research has already produced two significant working papers, published on Social Science Research Network (SSRN), examining liquidity issues and market performance in green bonds. These papers offer fresh insights into the structural challenges and opportunities in green financial markets, particularly as they relate to environmental, social, and governance (ESG) factors and circular economy finance. Links to these publications are available here and here.
Recognition and upcoming presentations
The research has already garnered considerable attention, with presentations of their findings at the University of Edinburgh Business School’s Adam Smith Sustainability Conference in August, and the Yale Initiative on Sustainable Finance Symposium in October. In December they will present at the 37th Australasian Finance & Banking Conference and at Panmure House’s Decarbonisation Finance Series III. Located in the former home of Adam Smith, Panmure House has become a symbolic venue for discussions on economic transformation, making it an ideal setting for presenting research aimed at reimagining financial markets in a decarbonised world.
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For more information, please contact Ronald de Groot, Media & Public Relations Officer at Erasmus School of Economics, rdegroot@ese.eur.nl, mobile: +31 6 53 641 846.
