The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority Laboratory has appointed Nobel Laureates Professor Robert F. Engle and Sir Konstantin Novoselov to its advisory board, increasing the total number of expert members to 12 recognized specialists globally.
Professor Robert F. Engle holds the title of Emeritus Professor of Finance at New York University’s Stern School of Business. He was awarded the Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences in 2003, alongside Clive Granger, for his groundbreaking work on analyzing economic time series with changing volatility. His development of the ARCH model (Autoregressive Conditional Heteroskedasticity) revolutionized the field of financial econometrics and remains foundational for modern risk management practices.
In addition to his academic contributions, Professor Engle co-founded the Volatility and Risk Institute at NYU Stern, known today as the “Volatility Institute,” which he co-manages with Richard Berner. The institute features the V-LAB platform, which offers real-time data and in-depth insights into global systemic risks and emerging threats. Recently, his research has focused on climate risks, and he continues to be a leading authority in financial econometrics, macroeconomic forecasting, and quantitative risk modeling. He also co-founded the Society for Financial Econometrics (SoFiE) with Eric Ghysels, achieving significant success. Professor Engle earned his Ph.D. in economics from Cornell University and has held academic positions at the University of California, San Diego, and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
On the other hand, Sir Konstantin Novoselov is internationally recognized for his pioneering work on graphene, for which he received the Nobel Prize in Physics in 2010 with Andre Geim. Their discovery of this single-layer material, which is the thinnest and strongest known substance, has opened new avenues in materials science, electronics, and nanotechnology.
Currently, Professor Novoselov serves as the Director of the Functional Smart Materials Institute at the National University of Singapore. He has published over 600 peer-reviewed research papers and played a key role in establishing major research centers, including the National Graphene Institute and the Singapore Institute of Functional Smart Materials. He has been awarded fellowships by the Royal Society, the Royal Society of Chemistry, and the Institute of Physics in the UK in recognition of his outstanding scientific contributions, and he continues to work on bridging scientific discoveries with technological innovation, focusing on sustainable and smart materials.
Dr. Horst Simon, Director of the Abu Dhabi Investment Authority Laboratory, stated: “The advisory board plays a crucial role in guiding our research agenda and enhancing its impact. With the addition of Professor Engle and Professor Novoselov, we are enriching the board with high-level expertise in econometrics, risk management, and advanced materials. Their work exemplifies the laboratory’s approach to supporting interdisciplinary research with broad implications, and their contributions will be essential in developing our future studies and research endeavors.”
The advisory board is responsible for shaping and implementing the research priorities and programs at the Abu Dhabi Investment Authority Laboratory. The board members, recognized for their groundbreaking contributions to the scientific community, include four Nobel Prize winners, two Turing Prize recipients, and the Gordon Bell Prize from the Association for Computing Machinery (ACM), along with numerous prestigious scientific honors. The expansion of the advisory board underscores the commitment of the Abu Dhabi Investment Authority Laboratory to support advanced research in data science and computing, with applications ranging from financial systems to material innovation.