Thorsten Hens

Professor of Financial Economics at ETH Zurich

SFI Faculty Member at Swiss Finance Institute

Biography

ETH Zurich

Education

  • 1996: Habilitation, Bonn University.
  • 1992: PhD, Bonn University (European Doctoral Programme).
  • 1988: Diploma in Economics, Bonn University.
  • 1984: Pre-Diploma (Vordiplom) in Computer Science, Bonn University.

Research Interest

  • Evolutionary Finance
  • Behavioral Finance

Teaching

  • Behavioral Finance and Wealth Management
  • Evolutionary Finance
  • Fixed Income Markets
  • Advanced Portfolio Theory
  • Introduction to Financial Economics
  • Introduction to Financial Markets

Other professional activities

Research Networks

  • CFA International Scientific Advisory Board
  • Swiss Finance Institute Fellow
  • URPP-Regulation of Financial Markets Project Client Advice

Administrative Positions

  • Member of the Directorate of the Department of Banking and Finance
  • Head of the Master of Advanced Studies in Real Estate
  • Member of the UZH Selection Committee for NCCR

Consulting

  • Pension Fund of the City of Zurich
  • Vita Pension Fund
  • Founding Partner of the UZH spin-off firm Behavioural Finance Solutions

Swiss Finance Institute

Thorsten Hens is Professor of Financial Economics at the University of Zurich. Professor Hens is co-founder of the UNISG–UZH spin-off Behavioral Finance Solutions, which provides financial firms with decision-making tools based on behavioral finance principles.

Expertise

Professor Hens is working on giving the financial advice offered to private clients a more stable foundation than simply referring to the risk and return characteristics of assets, which are volatile not only ex post but also ex ante. He has found that there is a stable link between the personality dimensions of the big five personality models from psychology and the way private clients invest. Since personality characteristics are more stable than asset characteristics, advice based on the former is more consistent over time. These results have concrete and practical implications for risk profiling, ESG profiling, and investment styles, which are all key elements in private banking.

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