• Students
• Their careers
• Topics of previous dissertations
• Topics of external dissertations

Owen Roberts. MSc Financial Mathematics 2005-2006

I graduated in Computer Systems Engineering at Warwick University in 2002. Since then I gained valuable work experience as a Sales Associate at Barclays Global Investors. I felt that I wasn’t making the most of my quantitative skills I had developed throughout my academic career. I also wanted to fast track my knowledge of the quantitative finance world. The answer to this was to embark on the course at Warwick.

The choice of institutions was quite simple, having already spent three years at Warwick. The campus set up is perfect for one of two things, dedicating your time to the intense program (absolutely required if you want to do well), or a whole year of party (in which case, this course is not for you).

I have benefited more than I could have imagined from this course, the doors that have opened up for me in the city are fantastic. Although, getting the MSc only gets you the interview! What you take from the course is absolutely up to you.

The course provides a very good balance between application and theory, a chance to develop a more rounded skill set. So be prepared for both abstract theory and plenty of programming. The mixture of both high calibre students on the course, a top teaching faculty across four superb departments makes this course one of the most prodigious in the country.

The course was very challenging for me and far more rewarding than my job previously. I relished the challenge and gave it all I have got, something I will never forget.

After I graduated with a BSc degree in Economics I started working as a stock trader for a small investment bank in Iceland. These few years of experience gave me insight in to the markets and motivation to understand better the mechanics behind it. From there I went to Boston University to pursue this interest of mine in finance and economics. Still, after a MA degree in Economics I felt that my knowledge in mathematics and finance was not robust enough, so I applied for the MSc program in Warwick, after recommendations from my past professors and former students.

Choosing Warwick was not a decision I regret. Obviously one can not expect to cover everything in the field in 12 months, but the material that was taught was generally well organized and professionally presented. Teachers and staff of the highest quality played a key role. Finally after graduating from different levels over the past years, I feel like I have learned something substantial and am specialized enough to start a career in what intrigues me most.

Even though I was lacking mathematical background at the time, I have always had a keen interest in maths. Looking back I am sure that good financial background is just as important as preparation for the program and makes up for lack of knowledge in other areas, just as long as one is open for learning new and challenging things.

Today I'm working in structuring credit derivatives at Kaupthing bank hf. in Iceland. My year at Warwick definitely helped me get into the position I am today. Not only as the degree provided me with the basic tools I need, but also to signal possible employers that I put a lot of effort into my education by choosing a acclaimed and a vigorous program.

Li Lin  MSc Financial Maths. 2005-2006

I finished my Bachelor degree in Computer Sciences in China. When at the university, I found I was more interested and capable in rigorous Maths rather than digital or mimic circuit modules. After doing some career research, I decided to study Financial Mathematics. At that time, I strongly believe the job opportunity for a financial mathematician is very promising in a developed financial market.I appreciate the faculties in the course kept on reminding us how intensive the course is and giving us assignments along the course. I do study hard from the beginning and I try to finish every assignment all by myself. I learned and understood the essence of the modules from programming and solving problems by hand. As a Computer Sciences student before, I know how important those practical experiences are.

This is a pivotal time in my career life. Soon after our final exams in late April, we were organized to visit some investment banks in London, i.e. Goldman Sachs, Bloomberg, Lloyds TSB, etc. The program office prepared a banquet and invited employers and distinct graduates to the forum. I talked to some senior quants in the forum and got a surprisingly welcomed reply. I obtained my first confidence and started to apply to job vacancies. That period was tough. Some companies didn’t even interview me; some failed interviews made me very upset; whereas some went well and I proceeded to the second and third round.

I appreciate especially Professor Nick Webber, my dissertation supervisor. He was very strict and urged me to search into my subject deeper and deeper. To accomplish his requirement, I have to read lots of papers every week in the summer. When I talked broadly and deeply about my dissertation subject with the employers, I made myself impressive and even beat the other PhD competitors.

Before I came to Warwick, I was told by a professional friend that the faculties of Financial Mathematics in Warwick Business School are very experienced in the industry rather than only in academics. When doing the course at the beginning, I felt regret and thought about quitting. But I persisted and now become a confident professional that knows some stuff and is able to contribute to the team rather than a shy girl doing her part-time waitressing summer job one year before. I appreciate everything I experienced when I was studying in the U.K. The year in Warwick was especially amazing for me.

The week after I handed my dissertation, I joined the Product Control Department in HSBC’s headquarter at Canary Wharf, London as a quantitative analyst. Programming and quantitative analysing is the main part of my daily work. I’m enjoying my profession and benefiting a lot from the knowledge I learned from the course.

Lee Simmonds MSc Financial Mathematics 2005-2006.

Before applying to the Financial Mathematics course I worked in equity derivatives product control at Citigroup. I enjoyed both the role and loved working for an investment bank, however wanted more of a challenge than middle office provided. I spoke with many people who worked in front office including traders, quants and structurers; all recommended gaining an advanced degree and a few even recommended the course at Warwick. 

The course itself was very broad ranging and highly challenging. Coming from a background in Physics meant that I had no prior experience in any of the course modules, however all the subjects covered are taught assuming no previous knowledge except a solid mathematical grounding. I found this beneficial since it enabled the lecturer to focus on the subject material rather than the mathematics needed to understand it. The skills learnt during the course were numerous and very relevant to my current role within an investment bank. Most important to my job would be stochastic calculus, derivative securities and the computing skills I gained during the course such as programming in C++ and VBA, and advanced use of Excel. 

Since Warwick is such a large school, there are an enormous amount of career related activities that occur. These include presentations by all the major investment banks and career days where it is possible to ask questions to recent joiners of the firms. The business school also organised a visit to London which was extremely helpful. It consisted of tours around several banks and a forum where representatives from many banks and hedge funds were present; this is where I arranged my dissertation.

About half the students managed to source external dissertations, I myself worked with Morgan Stanley in the equity research department. Despite being hard work the dissertation is a very enjoyable part of the course and hopefully provides a long-lasting piece of work that you can be proud of. It can also be quite a powerful tool in making contacts and even gaining gaining recognition. For example I have continued to extend mine since the deadline and am now discussing the possibility of publishing it through the bank I now work with.

As the course drew to an end there were no shortage of career opportunities on offer. I had to turn down an offer of a summer internship as a quant within the credit derivatives department at UBS due to the time constraints of my dissertation, however upon completion of this was offered a role structuring exotic equity and hybrid derivatives at my sponsoring bank, Morgan Stanley. Whilst considering this I landed an offer from JPMorgan trading equity derivatives on one of the biggest desks at the company, and this is where I am currently employed.