Andrew Kaufman (Ph.D.)

As a Senior Research Associate at CEM, I specialize in comparative research on the world's leading pension and sovereign wealth funds. Analyzing investment performance, costs, risks, and asset allocation across 400+ fund sponsors managing over $14 trillion in assets. My work helps institutional investors benchmark against global peers, optimizing investment strategies and asset mix decisions.

Evaluating supranational market governance for EM government bonds in the post-COVID environment. Identifying bondholders of high yield and investment grade issues using Refintiv eMaxx and a Bloomberg Terminal before visualizing results of investment styles, fund structures, AUM, activist histories, and peer groups. Assessing fixed-income products using Bloomberg Terminal Query Language (BQL) to screen securities, and analyze yield curves and spreads. Constructing a comprehensive database of every EM bond issue, serving as a foundational model for conducting advanced simulations and tests and evaluating risk premiums.

Conducted an ESG analysis on carbon-intensive assets of an $11.3 billion wealth management corporation, identifying financial assets exposed to Scope I and II emission risks.

Utilized Excel to analyze the IMF's Global Debt Database (GDD), revealing sovereign debt's shift from multilateral sources to bonds and underscoring investment opportunities and risks.

Identified $39.7 billion in unmanaged municipal cash and reserve funds by building databases from public filings and using SQL queries. My report formulated strategies for optimizing risk-return ratios where municipalities partner with leading asset managers such as the Investment Management Corporation of Ontario (IMCO) to enhance portfolio efficiencies.

Managed a research team as part of a $2.5 million national investigation while collaborating with local and national teams. After analyzing specialized socio-economic datasets from Statistics Canada using SPSS, I communicated research findings in a co-written book and with 30+ public lectures to general and expert audiences. I promoted our project via print and broadcast interviews and media partnerships resulting in front-page stories. My team received thanks from the Mayor of Winnipeg for our work. Interviewed 800+ people on their complex housing histories while building trusted interpersonal relationships. Developed innovative analytic survey tools on housing conditions and trained 50+ users nationwide. Gathered original data on vacancies and calculated housing market shifts using spatial analysis in ArcGIS. After reporting results using infographics, I organized public forums which transformed Provincial policy. Forecasted project budgets and monitored spending to bring in deliverables below cost.

Worked as a project lead, field researcher, data analyst at a think-tank assessing green driving technologies and urban transportation networks. I prepared six final project reports on over $1 million worth of initiatives for various government agencies.

Investigated the evolution of EM sovereign debt markets, highlighting the transition from official lenders to increasingly larger asset managers over 50 years, and provided a detailed analysis of key debt instruments to uncover the factors shaping global financial strategies. Engaged with 50+ experts, including portfolio managers, rating agencies, and treasury officials, in the sovereign debt domain. Synthesized their diverse market strategies, noting commonalities and gaps. Documented emerging and frontier market developments by attending 40+ events. Examined quantitative data (multivariate statistics in Excel, Python, and R); qualitative analysis (surveys, case studies, theme identification) to evaluate market trends. Visualized quantitative data and multivariate statistical analyses using Tableau, Microsoft Excel, and R. Communicated complex concepts to general audiences through 30+ presentations, clear technical writing, and by teaching advanced students.