"Gensler Returns to MIT Sloan: AI, FinTech, and Public Policy in Focus"

Gary Gensler, the former Chair of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) under the Biden Administration, has been named Professor of the Practice at the MIT Sloan School of Management. He will join both the Global Economics and Management Group and the Finance Group, focusing on artificial intelligence, finance, financial technology, and public policy. Gensler will also co-direct the FinTechAI@CSAIL initiative within MIT’s Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory (CSAIL) alongside Professor Andrew W. Lo.

Gensler's appointment comes after a distinguished career in the public sector, on Wall Street, and at MIT. Most recently, he led the oversight of the $120 trillion U.S. capital markets as the SEC Chair. Prior to this, he served as Professor of the Practice of Global Economics and Management, co-director of MIT’s FinTech@CSAIL, and senior advisor to the MIT Media Lab Digital Currency Initiative. Gensler has also been recognized for his teaching, winning the MIT Sloan Outstanding Teacher Award for the 2018–19 academic year.

Before joining the SEC, Gensler held various roles in the public and private sectors. He served as Chairman of the Commodity Futures Trading Commission, where he led the reform of the $400 trillion swaps market following the 2008 global financial crisis. Gensler also served as Senior Advisor to U.S. Senator Paul Sarbanes, helping to draft the Sarbanes-Oxley Act (2002), and as Assistant Secretary and then Undersecretary of the Treasury for Domestic Finance during the Clinton Administration. Earlier in his career, Gensler worked at Goldman Sachs for 18 years, rising to become a partner in the mergers and acquisition department and co-head of finance worldwide.

Gensler's return to MIT Sloan is welcomed by the faculty and administration. Georgia Perakis, the interim dean, expressed her happiness in welcoming Gensler back after his service at the SEC. Simon Johnson, the Ronald A. Kurtz Professor of Entrepreneurship and Head of the Global Economics and Management Group, looks forward to teaching a new course with Gensler and engaging with students on important global economic issues. Paul Asquith, the Gordon Y Billard Professor of Finance and Head of the Finance Group, praised Gensler's real-world experience and contributions to the faculty and students