QB Interns Make the Most of 2020
As the summer of 2020 comes to an end, we interviewed our interns about their experience here at QB. Hear from our summer Quant Research interns: Isaac, Qian, and Aman about their experience, suggestions and insights for those who are interested in developing a career in the world of quantitative finance.
1. Tell us a little about your background and your role at QB.
Isaac: My primary academic interests are statistics and applied math, with much of my recent work being focused on random networks and causal inference. I recently completed my Bachelors in Mathematics, and am currently pursuing a Masters in Electrical Engineering at Stanford University. At QB, I have been working to apply modern machine-learning-based approaches in causal inference to understanding market dynamics and the impacts of different actions in the market.
Qian: I'm currently pursuing my Master in Financial Engineering at Baruch College and I interned with the Research team as a Quantitative Analyst.
Aman: Prior to this internship, I also interned for QB as a rising junior in high school. Now I am a rising junior at Stanford University. I am on track to graduate in 2022 with a B.S. in Mathematics and a coterminal degree(M.S.) in Statistics. At QB I am a research intern. I have been working on two projects. One is an application of deep learning for regime detection, and another is an analysis of the relationship between spread and market impact.
2. What do you enjoy the most about working at QB?
Isaac: I have been able to work on a project that is solidly within my primary academic interests and have had a lot of freedom in developing solutions to problems on my own. I have also been given plenty of guidance in areas I was less familiar with. This amount of creative freedom has been unique in my work experience so far, and I am very thankful for how open everyone has been to giving me individual guidance.
Qian: We have many opportunities to learn and make real impacts on the business.
Aman: I enjoy the approachability of people at QB. At other internships, I have felt out of place asking questions while working on my project. I don’t feel that awkwardness at QB.
3. A piece of advice for future interns?
Isaac: If you are coming in with a specific area of interest or expertise, consider working with your managers to come up with a project that will let you explore that area further! As I had very little background in markets, I found that working with methods with which I was already familiar allowed me to get up to speed much more quickly, as well as to develop further expertise in my area of interest.
Qian: Practice coding with Q/KDB+, I would also advise them to read about financial markets/trading and learn about the futures markets.
Aman: If they are a Research intern, I would advise them to start writing their paper as soon as possible.
4. What are some of your other interests in finance, coding, and technology?
Isaac: I teach a Computer Science class - CS43 - at Stanford that I have developed with friends over the last two years, focused on type theory and functional programming in the Haskell programming language. Teaching is something I would recommend to anyone, both for its own sake and because I’ve found there’s no better way to learn a subject!
Qian: For finance: I track the markets especially volatility and futures every day; for coding: Leetcode and Project Euler.
Aman: I have a lot of machine learning-based “side projects” always in progress. One that I have been working on lately is an application of BERT for internet comment writing.
5. What do you do for fun in your free time?
Isaac: I play multiple instruments including violin, viola, guitar, and bass, and enjoy reading long novels and book series. I also do lots of crafts, including origami and crochet!
Qian: Running, gaming, and playing the piano.
Aman: I like to work with my hands and build things. In Particular, I like to build RC cars.