Rajna Gibson Brandon

I’m a professor of finance at the University of Geneva, where I set up the Geneva Finance Research Institute (GFRI). My research focus is experimental finance, which aims to gain insight into financial decision-making from an ethical perspective.

I’m passionate about research and passing my knowledge on to my students. I like that, in my line of work, you always have to question yourself, which requires a certain amount of humility.

My career path. A key moment for me was my postdoc at UCLA, in the States. My mentor there gave me my thirst for finance research. I’ve had great support from some of my professors, especially my PhD thesis supervisor. Those professors encouraged me not to give up and to go for an academic career. And let’s not forget the support I’ve had from my family and close friends.

A downside or obstacle ? The balance between my work and my private life. Women have to sacrifice a lot when they want to start a family. Some manage to make those sacrifices, while others struggle with the pressure of having to publish to climb the academic ladder. There aren’t many female professors in my field.

I’m proud to have had such a cross-disciplinary research focus for close to ten years. My approach allows me to really delve into the complexity of human decision-making in finance.