Meet a Quantitative Researcher

How did you get introduced to the finance industry?

I attended a MAA conference where one of my friends talked about the connection between game theory and finance. I thought this was a good time to apply to a few finance companies because I always had an interest in probability, poker, and gambling.

What made you decide to join our team?

My friend submitted my resume. At the end of the interview day, a few employees invited me to a poker game after work. All of the owners of SIG were playing, and I actually beat them. Throughout the game they asked me a lot of questions, almost like it was an interview. SIG was founded by poker players, and the way SIG thinks about risk and trading was more aligned with how I was thinking than other firms where I had interviewed.

What do you like best about working here?

I get to work on a lot of special projects, like unique event trading, that I probably wouldn’t get to work on anywhere else. These projects show the creative thinking we have in that SIG always tries to find new ways to grow our business.

The Quant team is collaborative. You’re not siloed. You can talk to quants outside your group for help on a problem and we’re not worried about competing with each other over ideas.

We talk a lot about teamwork and collaboration at SIG. Where do you see this demonstrated in your current role?

One of the good things at SIG is that you get feedback and support from a lot of different people. As a quant, you interact with your desk head, your lead manager, and the Head of Quantitative Research. You can bring problems to any of them.

If you were speaking with a graduate who was considering starting their career at SIG, what advice would you give them?

In terms of advancing your career, I really feel that learning and knowledge are important. You get a lot of opportunities to learn at SIG. We value education, learning, discussion, and are open to new ideas.

In your opinion, what is the best perk we offer?

SIG values work-life balance, so I don’t have to work 80 hour weeks.

Walk us through a typical day in your life.

I don’t have many typical days. There’s some days I could be in my office thinking about a model, writing code, and running tests. Other days, we could be talking about an exciting business venture and whether this investment is worth it or not. For example, today I handed off a couple of my projects to get ready for a business trip to Dublin, but I also gave a talk to the trading class about poker. I teach about how to play poker well, and how poker relates to trading in terms of decision making. I help with quantitative research interviews; recruiting is always great. We want to hire people in the next generation with new ideas and if people want to be entrepreneurial – SIG is a place where you can see your ideas grow.