The goal of the P2P program is to help mid-career financial economists (e.g., post-tenure faculty) find community, support, and mentoring in a small-group format. We aim to facilitate the formation of groups of four to six people at a similar career stage or with similar interests. Once formed, groups meet regularly online, supported by a curriculum and resources on topics of their choosing including planning for career advancement (e.g., promotion to full, managing service, increasing professional visibility).

Sign up is easy and should take only a few minutes to complete (registration link below). Please sign up by May 14, 2026 so that we have a complete list of participants to be placed in groups. Group members will be notified via email soon after that. You can indicate on the sign-up form whether you are willing to serve as a group leader (see FAQ below for what this entails).

REGISTRATION LINK HERE

AFFECT will offer future webinars on topics selected based on the interests of enrolled participants. The first webinar will take place in September 2026.

We are grateful to CSWEP for providing the online curriculum and funding for small grants to support group activities. Groups will gain access to the materials at https://www.cswepmentoring.org/ after sign up.

Here’s what participants in a pilot group have to say about the program:

“Connecting with peers at a similar stage in my career has given me opportunities to exchange ideas and insights on a wide range of topics. I also appreciate having a supportive network to turn to when questions or challenges come up in my career.”

“The P2P program has been a great way to stay connected with peers outside of conferences and share useful insights on research and teaching. It also creates a supportive space to talk through the common challenges and stresses of mid-career academic life.”

“I have found this group to be helpful and encouraging and highly recommend    joining a group if you have the opportunity to do so.”

Program FAQs:

Q: What benefits can I expect from joining the P2P program?

This program offers a regular opportunity to interact with some colleagues at a similar stage of career and life who otherwise you might not meet or get to know. Group meetings provide a supportive space to share information, concerns, and encouragement and learn how things work across different departments/universities. There will also be webinars offered on topics of interest.

Q: What responsibilities do participants have?

This program is designed to be low-cost to participants in terms of a time commitment, but participants will benefit most if all group members try to attend meetings regularly. You should only sign up if you are committed to participating in online group meetings.

Q: What responsibilities does a group leader have?

Volunteering to be agroup leader should not be costly in terms of time. The main responsibility is to initiate the first group meeting once the group is formed. This likely entails finding a time when all or most members are available and sending the link for the online meeting. They also serve as a liaison with the program organizers if any communication is needed.

Q: Can I join this program if I am a mid-career financial economist, but not at a university (e.g., government agency)?

There is no requirement that a group member be an academic. The intention is that group members have common interests or career goals, and we will form groups with this in mind.

Q: Can I join this program if I am an Assistant Professor?

This program is intended for tenured faculty to better form groups with members at the same career stage. However, AFFECT is planning to roll out a similar program for untenured faculty next. Stay tuned.

Q: Do we need to follow the curriculum?

No, the curriculum and resources are intended to provide potential topics and/or exercises for reflection and discussion. Some groups might have plenty to discuss without using these tools, which is completely fine. The curriculum covers topics like time management, increasing professional visibility, getting promoted, managing service responsibilities, etc.

Q: Is there any cost to join this program?

No, joining this program is free. Participants provide their own zoom or online meeting space after group formation.

Q: How can I get my questions about this program answered?

Please enter any program questions in the box at this link and an answer will be sent to you via email: AFFECT Peer-to-Peer Mid-Career Mentoring Program – Fill out form

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–Project 1–

Media Coverage of Female Researchers in Financial Economics (2011–2020)

As part of the AFFECT/JFE Data Grant Initiative, this publicly available dataset was created by Fabrizio Core, Ioanna Lachana, and Moqi Xu to support research on gender representation in financial economics. The Aca-Media dataset links English-language media coverage from 2011–2020 to individual researchers and their published work, enabling analysis of gender patterns in press visibility.

The dataset is accompanied by a detailed data manual and a research paper using the data. All materials are available for download below. Users are asked to cite the data manual and research paper when using the dataset.

Link:

• Data Set

Research Paper Citation: 

Core, Fabrizio and Groen-Xu, Moqi and Lachana, Ioanna, The Media Coverage of Female Scholars: Evidence for the Finance, Economics, And Business Disciplines (August 27, 2025). Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=5410042 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.5410042

Data Manual Citation: 

Lachana, Ioanna and Core, Fabrizio and Groen-Xu, Moqi, ACA-MEDIA: A new dataset of media coverage of academics (July 06, 2025). Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=5014331 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.5014331

–Project 2–

The Diversity of Conference Presenters in Virtual and In-Person Conferences (2017–2023)

This dataset was developed by Mitali Mathur, Jenna Stearns, and Keer Yang with support from the AFFECT/JFE Data Grant Initiative. It documents the gender and institutional affiliation of presenters, discussants, and session chairs at four major finance conferences—the AFA, SFS Cavalcade, WFA, and FMA—from 2017 through 2023. The data span in-person, virtual, and hybrid formats, enabling research on whether virtual conferences affect gender representation and access to prestigious speaking roles in academic finance.

The dataset and accompanying data manual are publicly available below. Please cite the data manual when using the dataset in your work.

Links:

• Dataset
• Data Manual

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As we return to in-person conference formats, AFFECT encourages conference organizers to try new ways of gathering that promote gender diversity. AFFECT will fund innovative ideas (look for AFFECT’s call for proposals in Spring 2023).

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