Mohamed Al Guindy Named Canada Research Chair in Financial Networks and Business Analytics
When a Canada Research Chair (CRC) is appointed, the announcement becomes a vote of confidence that extends beyond academia. It signifies a commitment to advancing knowledge in an area that affects people, markets, and industries across Canada. Specifically, Tier 2 CRCs are distinguished researchers recognized by their peers as having the potential to lead in their field. Dr. Mohamed Al Guindy exemplifies the emerging research leadership the program aims to support. With extensive experience in financial technology (FinTech) and business analytics, he is well-positioned to make a significant contribution to Canada’s future.
“This is really exciting news for Carleton University, the Sprott School of Business, and for my research program”, says Al Guindy, “In today’s complex economic environment, understanding the network structure of the economy is critical for financial and economic decision making. Canada should lead the way in this research, and I look forward to doing this right here in the nation’s capital.”
A unique blend of disciplines and passions shaped Mo’s journey to his CRC appointment. His academic background reflects a forward-thinking outlook that has guided his work for years. He first trained as an electrical engineer with undergraduate and master’s degrees specializing in artificial intelligence, then completed an MBA and a PhD in Finance. This foundation allows him to connect the technical aspects of digital systems with their financial outcomes.
Mo has been well ahead of the curve in his field. While FinTech is capturing global attention today, he studied how emerging technologies influence financial markets well before it became a worldwide focus. His work examined the factors that shape stock values and provided early evidence of the close connections between today’s economic activity and advanced technologies.
His research has discovered that data from communication technologies, such as social media, can be amalgamated, leading to an unexpectedly strong impact on financial markets. Mo refers to the network structure of the economy as implied by those discussions as the Social Internetwork. In a study analyzing hundreds of millions of financial tweets, he demonstrated that economic shocks that take place at a given point can affect other parts of the economy in ways that were not known or understood previously.
Financial decisions today take place in a global, highly interconnected environment. A single event can influence markets within seconds, and public opinion can change quickly. These realities make Mo’s research even more relevant. One of the primary outcomes of his CRC appointment is the establishment of the Social Media and Finance AI Research Lab, Canada’s first facility dedicated to studying real-time online financial information and network behaviour, building on Mo’s existing infrastructure at Sprott.
His research requires robust processing systems capable of handling vast datasets and performing complex computations quickly. He recently acquired one of the world’s most advanced AI supercomputers through a Canada Foundation for Innovation (CFI) grant. As he states, “We need a tremendous amount of computing power for this project.” His new computing infrastructure offers the necessary resources to monitor the real-time flow of financial information online and to analyze network behaviour at the system level. Ultimately, this will help researchers gain a clearer understanding of the influence of automated news and algorithms on financial performance. It also presents meaningful opportunities to collaborate with industry, government, and community partners interested in exploring the increasing interplay between news media, social media, and financial networks as they form and evolve.
These capacities will also allow student researchers develop world-leading skills and expertise working with tools, methods and real-world large datasets that reflect current industry needs.
Mo’s CRC appointment enhances Sprott’s influence both nationally and internationally. Business schools worldwide are expanding their focus on FinTech and business analytics. Sprott not only supports this growth but also promotes research leadership in the field. His CRC position allows for new partnerships, collaborative research, and greater visibility for Carleton.
As Mo’s CRC research program expands, the issues behind his work grow even more critical. With the rapid adoption of artificial intelligence, the advent of robo-generated news and robo-generated content, new issues facing society emerge “In finance, when there is news about companies or the economy, there is typically a market response,” Mo explains. “Now we want to know what is the market response to robo-generated content versus human-generated content.” Understanding these dynamics is crucial because they shape financial markets. Algorithms influence decision-making, and information spreads widely across platforms that are hard to regulate or oversee.
Canadian investors, companies, and regulators must understand how these forces interact. Mo’s appointment ensures that Sprott is leading efforts to address these questions and steer the nation’s response. As a CRC, he will highlight these issues to policymakers, industry leaders, and communities to support the development of strong and stable financial systems.