Member of Research Staff

Voleon; Berkeley (CA); Hybrid; USD 180,000 - 260,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical Insurance

Dental Insurance

Vision Insurance

Life and AD&D

Paid time off 20 days

Sick days 9

401(k) with company match

Job summary

Voleon, a technology company applying state-of-the-art AI/ML to finance, is hiring a Research Staff member in a hybrid role in the Bay Area. You will work on financial market prediction, portfolio optimization, and production-ready models, using diverse datasets and experiments to improve predictive accuracy and live trading results.

Collaborate with internationally recognized researchers and finance professionals, publish ideas, and iterate from basic research to productization.

Qualifications

• Background in modern statistical methods and machine learning with a track record as an applied researcher.
• Evidence of strong mathematical abilities (e.g., publication record, graduate coursework, or competition placement).
• Interest in software development techniques and willingness to write production level code (Python and/or R preferred).
• Ability to solve large-scale computing problems.
• Eagerness to work in collaborative and diverse teams.
• Interest in financial applications is essential, but prior finance industry experience is not a pre-requisite.
• Ph.D. level coursework is required, and a Ph.D. degree in a relevant field is preferred.

Responsibilities

• Develop a rich understanding of Voleon’s challenges and methodologies and propose research innovations and experiments to build, maintain and optimize the models that govern our investment strategy.
• Prepare and analyze new datasets to assess their predictive efficacy.
• Develop, validate, and implement new models into production.
• Design and conduct experiments to improve simulations and evaluate the success of new models in a live environment.
• Communicate and collaborate effectively with other Members of Research Staff and Software Engineers at each stage, driving progress towards tangible outcomes.
• Keep up to date on the latest academic research to identify novel approaches to explore for application to our domain.

Skills

Statistical ML

Mathematics

Python/R programming

Large-scale computing

Team collaboration

Finance interest

PhD coursework

Education

PhD coursework

PhD degree

Job description

Employment Type

Full time

Location Type

Hybrid

Department

Research

Compensation

The listed base salary range for this position is based upon the location(s) of this posting. Individual salaries are determined through a variety of factors, including, but not limited to, education, experience, knowledge, skills, and geography. Base salary does not include other forms of total compensation such as bonus compensation and other benefits.

Our benefits package includes medical, dental, and vision coverage, life and AD&D insurance, 20 days of paid time off, 9 sick days, and a 401(k) plan with a company match.

Voleon is a technology company that applies state-of-the‑art AI and machine learning techniques to real‑world problems in finance. For nearly two decades, we have led our industry and worked at the frontier of applying AI/ML to investment management. We have become a multibillion‑dollar asset manager, and we have ambitious goals for the future.

Your colleagues will include internationally recognized experts in artificial intelligence and machine learning research as well as highly experienced finance and technology professionals. In addition to our enriching and collegial working environment, we offer highly competitive compensation and benefits packages, technology talks by our experts, a beautiful modern office, daily catered lunches, and more.

As a Member of Research Staff, you will work at the forefront of modern statistical machine learning. Your research colleagues have collectively published hundreds of academic articles in top‑tier venues on machine learning, systems, and theory, and we meet regularly to stay current on the latest academic research and share ideas. Founded in 2007 by two leading scientists (see management bios ), Voleon supports a culture of curiosity, collegiality, and creativity.

Your work will focus on financial market prediction and portfolio optimization. The behavior of financial markets is noisy and violates a number of classical statistical assumptions, and we’ve spent over a decade pioneering scientific advances in the application of machine learning techniques to this domain. You will work with a complex and diverse array of datasets to implement and iterate on predictive models. Predicting financial markets is an enduringly hard problem, but results are immediate and unambiguous.

Years of academic training has prepared you for this moment. You won’t just conduct research, you’ll apply it on a daily basis, working with a team across the entire life cycle of applied research problems. Your work will span from basic research to productizing solutions and validating their efficacy in live trading. This role is a means to make a difference: you will help direct billions of dollars in trades daily while making an enduring impact on our field.

*** Relocation and work visa eligibility for qualified candidates ***

Responsibilities

Develop a rich understanding of Voleon’s challenges and methodologies and propose research innovations and experiments to build, maintain and optimize the models that govern our investment strategy

Prepare and analyze new datasets to assess their predictive efficacy

Develop, validate, and implement new models into production

Design and conduct experiments to improve simulations and evaluate the success of new models in a live environment

Communicate and collaborate effectively with other Members of Research Staff and Software Engineers at each stage, driving progress towards tangible outcomes

Keep up to date on the latest academic research to identify novel approaches to explore for application to our domain

Requirements

Background in modern statistical methods and machine learning with a track record as an applied researcher

Evidence of strong mathematical abilities (e.g., publication record, graduate coursework, or competition placement)

Interest in software development techniques and willingness to write production level code (Python and/or R preferred)

Ability to solve large-scale computing problems

Eagerness to work in collaborative and diverse teams

Interest in financial applications is essential, but prior finance industry experience is not a pre‑requisite

Ph.D. level coursework is required, and a Ph.D. degree in a relevant field is preferred

“Friends of Voleon” Candidate Referral Program

If you have a great candidate in mind for this role and would like to have the potential to earn $15,000 if your referred candidate is successfully hired and employed by The Voleon Group, please use this form to submit your referral. For more details regarding eligibility, terms and conditions please make sure to review the Voleon Referral Bonus Program .

Equal Opportunity Employer

The Voleon Group is an Equal Opportunity employer. Applicants are considered without regard to race, color, religion, creed, national origin, age, sex, gender, marital status, sexual orientation and identity, genetic information, veteran status, citizenship, or any other factors prohibited by local, state, or federal law.