Senior honors student Holly Ireton earns national recognition for finance research

When senior accounting and finance major Holly Ireton from Brighton, Mich., steps to the front of the room in Grawn Hall on October 3, she’ll be presenting more than just her honors capstone project. She’ll be sharing research that has already captured the attention of the academic community on a national stage.

Her paper, AI in Asset Management: A Performance Comparison between AI-Powered Mutual Funds and Quantitative Hedge Funds, was recently accepted for presentation at the Institute for Global Business Research’s 2025 Fall Conference in New Orleans. The conference, which runs October 8–10, attracts scholars from across the country.

“This is indeed a significant achievement,” said faculty advisor Woongsun Yoo. “To my knowledge, and as confirmed by Dr. Jim Felton, who has been with the Finance department for decades, an independent research paper by a CBA undergraduate student has not been accepted for an academic conference after a peer-review process within the last few decades.”

A rigorous capstone project

Ireton, who is double-majoring in accounting and finance, designed her project as part of her senior honors capstone. Her research examines how AI-managed mutual funds perform compared to quantitative hedge funds.

“What is the new big powerhouse in finance and really in every industry now? AI seemed like the next big thing,” Ireton said. “We’ve seen how it impacts companies like Nvidia and how it’s influenced investors, but we haven’t really researched how it works behind the scenes. That’s where I wanted to focus.”

Her study analyzed data from 2019–2024. “AI selects the stocks instead of people, basically,” she explained. “The surprising finding was that AI performs better because it takes on more risk. It really comes down to risk appetite for investors.”

Prestige for CMU

For Yoo, Ireton’s recognition is more than a personal milestone—it’s a mark of distinction for Central Michigan University’s College of Business Administration.

“This achievement will bring significant visibility and prestige to both the College of Business Administration and Central Michigan University,” Yoo said.

The accomplishment also sets Ireton up for future opportunities. She and Yoo plan to submit her research to the National Council on Undergraduate Research’s 2026 conference in Richmond, Virginia, one of the most prestigious venues for undergraduate scholarship.

Looking ahead

For now, Ireton is focused on her upcoming presentation in Grawn Hall and preparing to travel to New Orleans.

“The hardest part of this project was stepping into the shoes of a finance scholar as an undergraduate student,” she said. “It’s pushed me much further into real-world topics than anything I’ve done in class.”

Her October 3 presentation in Grawn 207 at 2 p.m. will serve as a rehearsal before she represents CMU at the national conference.