Dr Adnan Balloch
AI Researcher. Educator. Engineer. Builder.
Senior Lecturer at Massey University, New Zealand. Taught across 4 continents — Europe, Asia, Oceania — and trained professionals from Africa. Built 200+ AI applications on a single NVIDIA RTX 4090 with zero external funding.
Creator of Data Emotionalisation — a research dissemination method that converts academic findings into music and video. Creator of AutoMatrixLab — a self-funded AI infrastructure powering education, research, and automation. Invited speaker at SAS Innovate 2026 (April 27–30, Texas).
Career
Experience
Senior Lecturer — Finance, AI & Analytics
Massey University, Auckland | Jan 2018 – Present (7+ years)
Developed ‘Big Data in Finance and Banking’ and ‘Applied Econometrics Methods’ courses for Master of Analytics. First academic globally to deploy SAS Viya in teaching. Built 200+ AI applications. Supervised PhD and Master’s students in advanced analytics and household finance.
Consultant — Public and Private Organizations
New Zealand | Jan 2019 – Dec 2024 (6 years)
Assisted Ministry of Social Development, Financial Markets Authority, Retirement Commission, FinCap, IRD, banks and insurance providers with data analytics consulting, policy research, and advanced econometric modelling.
Lecturer in Accounting & Finance
Aberystwyth University, Wales, UK | Jan 2016 – Jan 2018 (2 years)
Program Leader for Accounting and Finance. Module Leader for Investments and Financial Instruments, Corporate Finance, Financial Management, Auditing, and Financial Accounting.
Consultant — AI and Analytics Joint Ventures
Silicon Valley & Global | Jan 2015 – Dec 2017 (3 years)
Assisted several organisations including Silicon Valley based startups with local and overseas artificial intelligence and analytics projects.
Consultant — Corporate Finance
Deloitte, Pakistan | Jan 2016 – Dec 2016
Led corporate finance teams in consulting and advisory projects for international clients including The World Bank and high-profile international investors. Provided training and mentorship to consulting teams.
Research Student Teacher
Durham University Business School, UK | Jan 2011 – Mar 2013
Taught seminars in Advanced Microeconomics and Economic Principles modules. Assisted postgraduate students in dissertation work.
Visiting Professor
Institute of Industrial Electronics Engineering, Pakistan | 2006 – 2009
Taught Engineering Economics and Mathematics modules. Conducted workshops in computer programming.
Assistant Manager — Electromagnetic Compliance
National Engineering & Scientific Commission of Pakistan | Jan 2006 – Dec 2010 (5 years)
Designed, implemented and supervised instrumentation systems for petrochemical industry clients including NRL, BP and OMV. Coordinator for ISO 9001, 14001 & OHSAS standards.
Instrument Engineer
ENAR Petrotech Services Pvt. Ltd. | Jan 2005 – Dec 2005
Designed, implemented and supervised instrumentation systems for clients in petrochemical industries including NRL, BP and OMV.
Industry Impact
Industry Collaborations
SAS Viya — Asia Pacific Pioneer
Taught SAS Viya at Massey University at its development stage from 2020. Massey was the first university in Asia Pacific to use SAS Viya for teaching. Participated in pilot study of new SAS Viya version, providing technical advice directly to SAS USA team.
New Zealand Government & Regulators
Assisted Ministry of Social Development, Financial Markets Authority, Retirement Commission, FinCap, IRD, Banks, Insurance providers, Ministry of Health, DHBs and manufacturing industries with analytics and subject matter advice.
Silicon Valley & Global Joint Ventures
Assisted several organisations including Silicon Valley based startups with local and overseas artificial intelligence and analytics projects through global joint venture collaborations.
Massey University Fin-Ed Centre
Completed several commissioned and noncommissioned analytics and research projects for Massey University Fin-Ed Centre, earning significant revenue for the school and the Centre.
Qualifications
Education
PhD in Finance
Durham University Business School, UK | 2011–2015
Best Thesis Award • Distinction in all coursework
Commonwealth Scholarship (full fee and maintenance grant). Research focus on household finance, financial literacy, and stock market participation. Published in FT50 journals.
MBA — Finance
Institute of Business Management, Pakistan | 2006–2008
Second Position — CGPA 3.68/4.0
Merit scholarship recipient. Foundation for transition from engineering to financial research and academia.
B.Eng — Electronics
NED University of Engineering & Technology, Pakistan | 2001–2004
Fourth Position — CGPA 3.55/4.0
Merit scholarship (2001–2004). The engineering mindset that drives the technical architecture behind every AI project.
Academic Output
Research & Publications
Journal Publications
When It Rains It Drains: Psychological Distress and Household Net Worth
Journal of Banking and Finance (A* Journal) — 2022
Balloch, A., Engels, C. and Philip, D. Establishes a sizeable negative effect of poor mental health on net worth.
Stock Market Literacy, Trust and Participation
Review of Finance (FT50 Journal) — 2015
Balloch, A., Philip, D. & Nicolae, A. Examining financial literacy, trust, and stock market participation.
Shared Burden, Separate Scars: Economic Shock, Hardship Landing, and Intrahousehold Financial Anxiety Contagion
FamNet Research — 437,006 observations, 21 years HILDA data
Discovers that 93–96% of hardship damage is psychological. Hybrid Competing Risk Hit Model combining Cox, DeepHit, and neural survival analysis.
Investigating Critical Social and Economic Issues using Advanced Panel Data Models
NZ Retirement Commission Insights Bites — Apr 2022
Demonstrated the power of panel data and advanced models to resolve critical social and economic issues.