The purpose of the "Western Conference in Mathematical Finance, Santa Barbara, CA 2009" is to bring together promising young specialists and eminent researchers working in the area of mathematical finance, to encourage new collaborations and allow for active exchange of ideas through informal discussions. The WCMF is a self-organized effort to promote the financial mathematics community on the West Coast. More importantly, the conference will aid career development of young researchers, including graduate students, new Ph.D.'s, and recent entrants to the field by providing them with a venue to present their work, pose new research problems and interact with more senior colleagues in an informal atmosphere. For this purpose, the majority of the budget is allocated to provide travel support to a number of junior participants. The workshop will expose participants to new directions of research, including topical subjects in regulatory risk management, environmental financial innovations and crisis modeling. Addressing these issues is especially relevant and urgent in light of the ongoing financial perturbations.
