In Conversation with Aswath Damodaran, Professor at NYU Stern School of Business

Aswath Damodaran is a Professor of Finance at NYU Stern School of Business, where he holds the Kerschner Family Chair in Finance Education. He is widely regarded as one of the world’s leading voices on valuation, corporate finance, and investment decision-making. Aswath has taught at NYU Stern for several decades, shaping how generations of students and practitioners think about valuing businesses, assessing risk, and making decisions under uncertainty. He is the author of numerous widely used texts, including Investment Valuation, The Dark Side of Valuation, and Investment Philosophies, which are staples in finance education globally. Beyond the classroom, Aswath is known for his writing and public commentary on markets, valuation, and the limits of forecasting. His work is recognised for its clarity, intellectual honesty, and emphasis on first principles over narrative or convention. In this conversation, Aswath reflects on how ideas develop over time, how to filter information in a noisy environment, how to think about risk when outcomes cannot be fully optimised, and why sound judgment often matters more than precise models. Hosted by the Edinburgh University Private Equity Society.