At the Gabelli School QuantVision Conference, Students Learn From and Connect With the Best and Brightest Minds in Financial Engineering
Featured Events Graduate | May 27, 2024 | Gabelli School of Business
Top Industry Experts Discussed and Debated Emerging Topics in the Realm of Quantitative Finance
On April 4, 2024, the most innovative and influential minds in quantitative finance convened at Fordham University’s Gabelli School of Business for QuantVision, the premier conference in the field, which focuses on the latest trends and developments across industry and academia. Hosted by Fordham’s Quant Finance Society in collaboration with Rebellion Research, a global machine learning think tank, artificial intelligence financial advisor, and hedge fund, the event featured presentations and thought-provoking panel discussions that explored numerous facets of the quantitative finance world, sparking debate and discussion among the pre-eminent thought-leaders in the quantitative finance industry. In addition to the stimulating content on stage, the audience of over 250 researchers, students, entrepreneurs, and quantitative analysts took advantage of the opportunity to network, exchange ideas, and forge the connections that will build and support the growing community of financial engineers who are shaping the future of the industry.
Qing Sheng, Ph.D., director of the Gabelli School’s M.S. in Quantitative Finance (MSQF) program, explained how QuantVision threads together what students are learning in the classroom with the latest developments taking place in the quant realm. “Our curriculum mirrors what the students need to know to have a competitive advantage, and this event connects them with industry. It exposes them to what is out there and helps them to identify what drives them and what they are passionate about,” she commented.
Alexander Fleiss, CEO of Rebellion Research and a member of the MSQF advisory board (l); MSQF student and co-president of the Quant Finance Society Faruque Khan (r)
MSQF students and co-presidents of the Quant Finance Society Ghaith Khmeydan and Faruque Khan, were instrumental in the planning and execution of the event, working with Alexander Fleiss, CEO of Rebellion Research and a member of the MSQF advisory board. “We worked very closely with Alex to plan this event and bring the biggest names in quantitative finance to the Gabelli School,” Khan said. Khmeydan added, “We succeeded in fostering a dialogue about the future of quant finance and inspiring our fellow students as we set out on our careers.” The program’s eight panels featured thought leaders from Goldman Sachs, Citadel, Point72, Two Sigma, BlackRock, and Cantor Fitzgerald, among many other top firms.
“QuantVision is an amazing, unique experience for the MSQF students to see the financial engineering world in action—on stage and throughout all the discussions and networking that took place during the day. The event was a manifestation of all that the students are learning in class, and they connected with the most prominent people in financial engineering. The goal was to celebrate the excellence of the MSQF program and give students a chance to develop relationships that will help them navigate their careers,” Fleiss explained enthusiastically. He asserted that the event was also beneficial for the companies that participated, many of which connected students to internships and initiated discussions about future career prospects. Representatives from LSEG (London Stock Exchange Group), IntelligentCross, Databento, OPEN8 Inc., OptionMetrics, TRADERWARE, Zoonova AI/Machine Learning Analytics with ChatGPT-4 Turbo, Revelio Labs, AlphaROC, and YipitData attended, engaging in conversations with students throughout the day, with some securing internships on the spot. The CQF Institute, the fastest-growing network of quant finance professionals, was an academic collaborator on the conference.
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he broad spectrum of panel discussions and keynote debates dissected the latest trends in quantitative research, such as reinforcement learning, deep learning, and causality in machine learning models. Speakers explained how the leading edge of investment strategies are powered by data science and technology, tackling complex subjects such as the question of reliability in backtesting, and how large language models (LLMs), a subset of AI, plays a role in market analysis, and the resurgence of cryptocurrency markets.
The topic of how generative AI, deep machine learning, and other technological developments will have an impact on the rapid advancements shaping the future of finance was an integral part of discussions and presentations throughout the day. The panels highlighted the fact that AI is already changing the future of institutional investing by improving scalability and efficiency and evolving both quantitative and fundamental investment techniques. A keynote debate about reinforcement learning versus deep learning, which revealed the ways in which rapidly evolving technology and its applications are intertwined, featured Risk.net Buy-side Quants of the Year Igor Halperin, Ph.D. (2022) and Gordon Ritter, Ph.D., (2019). There was no definitive answer to a question that was posed during one panel but that was on everyone’s mind throughout the course of the day: Where are we in the AI revolution? QuantVision brought all those attending closer to finding the answer.
Written by: Michelle Miller, associate director of communications and Paola Curcio-Kleinman, senior director of marketing and communications, Fordham University Gabelli School of Business
