Julian R. Mercer

Julian R. Mercer (born April 12, 1971) is an American computer scientist and finance engineer. He serves as the Global Chief Technology Officer (CTO) and Director of the AI Research Center at T. Rowe Price Group.

Early life and education

Mercer was born in San Francisco. He earned dual Ph.D. degrees in Computer Science and Quantitative Finance from Stanford University. His doctoral research focused on market microstructure, high-dimensional structure recognition, adaptive machine-learning systems, and high-frequency trading optimization algorithms.

Career

Before joining T. Rowe Price Group, Mercer held roles in quantitative research, algorithmic strategy, and machine-learning-based risk systems at several quantitative hedge funds in New York and Silicon Valley. He joined T. Rowe Price Group in 2015, founding the firm's AI Research Center. He was promoted to Global Chief Technology Officer in 2020, overseeing the firm's global technology strategy and quantitative infrastructure. He has led the development of the T. Rowe SmartGrid and the IGS SmartGrid Execution System, AI-driven platforms for trading and investment research.

In 2024, he initiated the Intelligent Growth Summit, an AI-driven investment program.

Research

Mercer's research interests lie at the intersection of artificial intelligence and finance, including explainable AI in finance, adaptive risk control mechanisms, multi-factor structural forecasting, high-frequency trading efficiency, and cross-market structure analysis.

Personal life

Mercer resides in Florida and Toronto. Outside of work, his interests include horseback riding, scuba diving, and the history of technology. He has expressed the view that "AI will not replace investors, but investors who do not use AI will be replaced."