Cliff Asness
Cliff Asness is the Founder, Managing Principal, and Chief Investment Officer of AQR Capital Management, a leading quantitative investment firm overseeing approximately $120 billion in assets under management. Widely regarded as a pioneer in quantitative investing, Asness is best known for his groundbreaking work in value and momentum investing, as well as his leadership in developing liquid alternative strategies that have reshaped modern portfolio management. Renowned as one of the foremost intellectual figures in the hedge fund and asset management industry, he combines academic rigor with real-world market insight. Throughout his career, Asness has been a prolific researcher and author, publishing influential papers in top-tier financial journals and regularly contributing thought leadership articles on AQR’s website. Before co-founding AQR in 1998, he served as Managing Director and Director of Quantitative Research in the Asset Management Division at Goldman Sachs, where he helped integrate systematic strategies into institutional portfolios.
Cliff Asness Professional Experience / Academic History
Professional Experience
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Co-Founder, Managing Principal, and Chief Investment Officer
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Managing Director and Director of Quantitative Research
Academic History
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Ph.D., Finance
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M.B.A., High Honors
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B.S. Economics, Summa Cum Laude
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B.S., Engineering, Summa Cum Laude
CURRENT AFFILIATIONS
Editorial Board, The Journal of Portfolio Management
Governing Board, Courant Institute of Mathematical Finance at NYU
Board of Directors, QGroup
Board Member, International Rescue Committee
Board of Trustee, New York Historical Society
Board of Trustee, The National WWII Museum
Board Member, American Enterprise Institute
Board Member, Commentary Magazine
RECOGNITIONS
2006 James R. Vertin Award, CFA Institute
50 Most Influential People in Global Finance, Bloomberg Markets
2x Graham and Dodd Award, Financial Analysts Journal
5x Bernstein Fabozzi/Jacobs Levy Award, The Journal of Portfolio Management
MEDIA PRESENCE & PUBLICATIONS
Cliff Asness is a widely recognized voice in financial media, quantitative investing, and economic policy commentary.
In addition to his leadership at AQR Capital Management, he is an active researcher and thought leader, frequently contributing to discussions on market trends, behavioral finance, and investment strategy.
His insights and commentary have been featured or quoted in leading global outlets, including Bloomberg, Forbes, Financial Times, Fortune, Reuters, CNBC, Business Insider, Institutional Investor, and Yahoo! Finance.
Asness has also authored numerous influential academic papers and articles published in some of the most prestigious finance journals, including The Journal of Portfolio Management, Financial Analysts Journal, The Journal of Finance, and The Journal of Financial Economics.