2026 Alternative Investments Conference &
IPC Current Issues in Alternatives Symposium

Conference Date: March 26 – 27, 2026
Location: Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA
Submission Deadline: Nov 18, 2025

We invite submission of theoretical and empirical papers in the broad field of private capital and alternative investments, including, but not limited to research on buyouts, distressed securities, mezzanine financing, special situations, private credit, venture capital, hedge funds, real estate, infrastructure, and other real assets. The conference is hosted by the Institute for Private Capital (IPC) at the University of North Carolina. The program has a dedicated track for applied research which will be presented as part of the Alternative Investments Conference on the afternoon of March 26. Academic papers will be presented for the Current Issues in Alternatives Research Symposium the following day, March 27.

Papers at all stages of completion (including detailed abstracts and work-in-progress) are invited and should be submitted any time before the deadline of November 18, 2025.  Please use the form below to submit.  Please complete a separate form for each paper you are submitting.  Questions regarding submissions can be sent to uncipc@kenan-flagler.unc.edu.

Presenters with full-time academic appointments will receive complimentary conference registration, and up to two-night accommodation in Chapel Hill.  Other travel expenses are the responsibility of attendees.

The conference review committee consists of members of the IPC Academic Advisory Boards:

• Alon Brav, Fuqua School of Business, Duke University
• Gregory W. Brown, Kenan-Flagler Business School, UNC at Chapel Hill
• Randy Cohen, Harvard Business School, Harvard University
• Jeff Fisher, Carey Business School, John Hopkins Univ. & Indiana University (emeritus)
• David Geltner, Center for Real Estate, MIT
• Arpit Gupta, Stern School of Business, NYU
• Robert Harris, Darden Graduate School of Business, University of Virginia
• Yael Hochberg, Rice University
• Tim Jenkinson, Said Business School, Oxford University
• Wei Jiang, Columbia Business School, Columbia University
• Steve Kaplan, Booth School of Business, University of Chicago
• David Ling, Warrington College of Business, University of Florida
• Christian Lundblad, Kenan-Flagler Business School, UNC at Chapel Hill    
• Christopher Polk, London School of Economics
• Adam Reed, Kenan-Flagler Business School, UNC at Chapel Hill
• David Robinson, Fuqua School of Business, Duke University
• Jacob Sagi, Kenan-Flagler Business School, UNC at Chapel Hill
• Rossen Valkanov, Rady School of Management, University of CA San Diego
• Stijn Van Nieuwerburgh, Columbia Business School, Columbia University
• Nancy Wallace, Haas School of Business, UC Berkeley
• Russ Wermers, Smith School of Business, University of Maryland