Special Physics Careers Seminar by Roderick Knuiman of IMC Financial Markets

The Fall 2016 Physics Careers seminar series will present a special seminar on Thursday, Oct. 6, 2016 by Roderick Knuiman of IMC Financial Markets:

Time: 11:00 a.m. on Thursday, October 6, 2016 (refreshments served at 10:30 a.m.)

Location: 204 Loomis Laboratory (Interaction Room)

Title:  A Career in Trading

Speaker: Roderick Knuiman, IMC Financial Markets

Abstract:   Ever wondered if there is some pattern or underlying structure to be found in the seemingly random movements of the stock market? Or why it is that certain traders seem to be able to make money, whilst others are only able to break-even or lose money? Can it really be only luck, or is there some skill to it? How can mathematics and modeling be used to decipher this world in which everything can change so quickly, yet where the impact of changes can have huge effects across the world?

Those were the types of questions that I had when I switched to become a trader after completing my college education in Applied Physics and Applied Mathematics. I quickly figured out that a background in Physics gave me an excellent toolset to start a career in trading. In fact, many of the quantitative experts that I have worked with have come from a Physics or Mathematics background, including plenty of PhDs.

In this presentation I will explain the exciting possibilities for a career in trading for graduates or PhDs in Physics, and why a degree in Physics offers such a great starting point for a role in trading. I will talk about what trading is and what financial markets look like these days, and I will talk about the role of technology in financial markets. I'll leave plenty of time for Q&A if you have any burning questions, e.g. on how to make some money to pay for next year's college tuition, or if you want to discuss the good, bad and evil of the trading business.

Bio: Roderick has a Bachelor's degree in Applied Physics, and a Master's degree in Financial Mathematics from the University of Twente in the Netherlands. He started working with Information Management Consultants (IMC) in Amsterdam in 2009 and has since played a key role in the automation and algorithm design of market making strategies within IMC. He has previously worked for IMC in their Amsterdam, Hong Kong and Sydney office and is currently working on algorithms for futures and ETFs trading in the IMC Chicago office.

You can see the rest of the Fall 2016 Physics Careers Seminar series here: http://physics.illinois.edu/events/seminars.asp?cal=4014