Dr. Finn E. Kydland, 2004 Nobel Laureate in Economic Science, will deliver the keynote address at the 23rd annual Global Finance Conference from 12-1:30 p.m. Thursday, April 21, at University Square Hotel (4961 N Cedar Ave.), across the street from the Fresno State campus.

The conference will begin at 8:30 a.m. with welcoming remarks from Fresno State President Joseph I. Castro, followed by a plenary panel to discuss the economic future of Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa, as well as the global economy.

Kydland, who currently is the chair of the Department of Economics at the University of California, Santa Barbara, was jointly awarded the Nobel Prize with Edward C. Prescott for their research in macroeconomics and its contribution to the understanding of business cycles.

In addition to the publication of over 50 papers, Kydland has been a research associate for the Federal Reserve Banks in three large metropolitan cities and has been a visiting professor at universities in six countries. He is a native of Norway.

Conference sessions will continue on Friday, April 22 from 8:30 a.m.-3:30 p.m. with a luncheon keynote address from Dr. Randy I. Anderson, chief economist for Griffin Capital Corporation.

Anderson has held several senior executive positions and was a founding partner of two firms. He also served as the Howard Phillips Eminent Scholar Chair and Professor of Real Estate at the University of Central Florida where he directed the research and education institute.

Dr. Manu Shahrokhi, who teaches finance and business law in the Craig School of Business, established the Global Finance Conference in 1994 and serves and as its program chair.

He said the purpose of the conference is “to foster research by providing forums for finance professionals to debate, exchange and disseminate ideas, as well as to advance the education, learning and practice of global financial economics.”

Past conferences have been held in the U.S., China, Germany, Mexico, Canada, Thailand, Brazil and United Arab Emirates.

“Over the years, the keynote speakers include many Nobel laureates, prime ministers, the head of the World Trade Organization (WTO) and eminent scholars and practitioners,” Shahrokhi said.

An estimated 100 academics, scholars and practitioners representing more than 30 countries are expected to congregate for this year’s conference.

An agenda for the 2016 GFC is available at www.glofin.org/Conference/.

For more information, contact Shahrokhi at shahrokhi@glofin.org or 559.278.4058.