Applied Mathematician — Electronic Trading & Quantitative Finance

Morgan Stanley • New York, NY

7d • $150,000 - $250,000 • Onsite

About The Position

We are a small team of researchers and developers building algorithms for trading stocks, bonds, and derivatives at Morgan Stanley. Our work is at the intersection of stochastic control, statistics, financial derivatives, and numerical methods. We are seeking a Statistician or Control Theorist interested in market problems where mathematics is crucial. The role involves formulating models, challenging assumptions, performing statistical analysis, writing simulations, and translating insights into profitable trading policies and risk management tools. The ideal candidate is comfortable integrating theory, computation, and empirical evidence, and comes from a background in applied mathematics, statistics, operations research, probability, theoretical physics, stochastic control, or a related field. Familiarity with finance is not required, but an excitement for markets as a source of complex mathematical problems is essential. Examples of relevant research papers are provided to illustrate the nature of the work.

Requirements

• Ph.D. in Applied Mathematics, Statistics, Operations Research, Theoretical Physics
• Strong mathematical maturity and ability to reason from first principles
• Advanced Data Analysis skills
• Ability to program well enough to turn ideas into working models or prototypes
• Clear communication skills: ability to explain complex ideas to both technical and non-technical colleagues
• Working knowledge of probability, statistics, stochastic calculus, optimization, or stochastic control
• Desire to work independently
• A good sense of humor

Nice To Haves

• Knowledge of derivatives mathematics such as option pricing and credit default swaps
• Experience with noisy data, sparse estimation, dimensionality reduction and numerical optimization

Responsibilities

• Formulate models
• Challenge assumptions
• Perform challenging statistical analysis of data
• Write simulations
• Turn insights into profitable trading policies and risk management tools
• Integrate theory, computation, and empirical evidence

Benefits

• Ample opportunity to move about the business for those who show passion and grit in their work
• Attractive and comprehensive employee benefits and perks in the industry
• Support and empowerment in an environment to work alongside the best and the brightest
• Relentless collaboration and creative thinking fueled by diverse backgrounds and experiences
• Support for employees and their families at every point along their work-life journey

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Mid Level
• Education Level: Ph.D. or professional degree