Optiver · 7 hours ago
PhD Quant Focus 2026
Chicago, IL
Full-time
Onsite
New Grad
$90K/yr - $90K/yrOptiver is a financial firm offering a PhD Quant Focus program designed to bridge the gap between academic research and practical quantitative challenges in financial markets. Participants will engage in hands-on workshops and direct interactions with researchers and traders, gaining insights into applying their academic skills in a real-world trading environment.
Financial ServicesFinTechMarket Research
Responsibilities
Participate in hands-on trading workshops Build foundational intuition around market making and quantitative decision-making and see firsthand how research connects to real-time market dynamics and trading outcomes
Work through applied quantitative research challenges Gain practical experience in applying data analysis, statistical modelling and machine learning techniques to extract signals from large-scale, noisy and event-driven data
Engage directly with experienced quantitative researchers Get insights into their day-to-day work, career paths, and tips on successfully transitioning from PhD to industry
Receive practical feedback to advance your transition to industry Get feedback on how you frame problems, reason through assumptions and communicate your thinking in an applied setting
Qualification
Required
Current PhD student in a STEM or highly quantitative discipline
Interest or experience in machine learning, statistics, applied mathematics, physics or related areas
Available for a Summer 2026 or 2027 internship
Anticipated PhD graduation between 2026 and 2029
Motivated by complex, data-intensive problems
Comfortable operating in conditions of uncertainty
Confident in applying programming, mathematical modelling and data-driven methodologies to solve challenging research questions
Clear communicator of technical ideas
Thrives in collaborative, multidisciplinary environments
Preferred
Background or experience in machine learning (e.g., Computer Science, Statistics, Machine Learning, Electrical & Computer Engineering, Applied Mathematics)
Benefits
Optiver-covered flights
Living accommodations
Commuting stipends (where applicable)
Daily breakfast and lunch
Social events and clubs
Company
Optiver
Optiver is an international trading firm, headquartered in Amsterdam.
Founded in 1986
1001-5000 employees
H1B Sponsorship
Optiver has a track record of offering H1B sponsorships. Please note that this does not
guarantee sponsorship for this specific role. Below presents additional info for your
reference. (Data Powered by US Department of Labor)
Distribution of Different Job Fields Receiving Sponsorship
Represents job field similar to this job
Trends of Total Sponsorships
2025 (28)
2024 (16)
2023 (36)
2022 (12)
2021 (13)
2020 (14)
Funding
Current Stage
Late StageLeadership Team
Rutger Brinkhuis
CEO Optiver US
Charlie Whitmer
Chief People Officer
Recent News
2026-01-22
2026-01-16
2025-11-25
Company data provided by crunchbase