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Warwick Institute for Financial Computing

Warwick Institute for Financial Computing

The Warwick Institute for Financial Computing (WIFC) is an interdisciplinary institute established by the University of Warwick. It pursues research and development in areas such as algorithmic trading, low latency middleware, networks & protocols, high performance financial computing and market psychology.

The institute builds on cross-departmental cooperation between:

The WIFC is co-located in the building of Department of Computer Science and is directed by Prof. Stephen Jarvis and Dr Rajagopal Nagarajan.


VISION

The aim of the institute is to lay the foundation for a long term, integrated knowledge transfer centre, which will be fundamentally inter-departmental and serve both academia and industry. Recent events in the financial world have deeply affected the global outlook for the future, and this sector is in the process of undergoing a major overhaul. Now, more than ever, a co-ordinated effort is needed, between industrial institutions and universities, to develop the best tools and techniques which can adapt to changes in economic environment and market conditions. Moreover, jobs in the financial industry are likely to be scarce in the near term, and training students specifically in areas of relevance will be important. By building on Warwick's strong base in research, and leveraging our excellent reputation, we will build a world-class integrated environment for research, teaching, and consultancy in financial computing. Financial services are the backbone of the UK economy, and Warwick, as one of the best universities in the UK, aims to take the lead in this new environment and help shape the future.

The WIFC is home to a number of renowned experts in several areas related to both computing and finance. We plan to invite leaders in both academia and industry to give seminars, and make visits. Through developing such contacts, we will be able to form an Advisory Board, which will monitor activities and guide the development of the Institute. We will also contribute to the development of modules within degrees offered by the participating departments. We also expect to have a dedicated laboratory, with specialised hardware and software for trading and financial analysis, and for developing parallel and scientific computing techniques.

We are engaging in a serious dialogue with the financial sector, aiming to not only provide them with high quality research and consulting, but also the very best graduates. Constructive discussions with industry leaders such as Microsoft, IBM, Deutsche Bank, and Bloomberg are ongoing, and we expect that the Institute will bid for external funding in the future, through research councils and industry. The Institute will help achieve one of the main goals set out in our Vice-Chancellor's Vision 2015, that of raising Warwick's international profile, with the aim of being ranked within the top 50 universities in the world.


Further Degrees

We are currently selecting PhD and MRes candidates, both full and part time. A good first degree is essential and industry experience is desirable.


Contact Details:

stephen dot jarvis at warwick dot ac dot uk

Department of Computer Science
University of Warwick
Coventry, CV4 7AL