Quantitative Developer Certificate Program
The Data Science Institute and Financial Mathematics Program have partnered to create a new Quantitative Developer (QD) Certificate, combining training in advanced software engineering with financial expertise. Full-stack quantitative developers build and maintain the systems that power modern trading and risk management, requiring fluency in both high-performance computing and financial mathematics. The QD Certificate represents a new approach to preparing practitioners for these roles, bridging theoretical education and practical application.
We are proud to be working with an Industry Advisory Board composed of leading quantitative firms Chicago Trading Company (CTC), DRW, and global alternative investment firm Millennium to ensure the certificate’s curriculum effectively addresses skill gaps and trains students in the necessary theory and application required for a career path in quant development.
The certificate requires completion of specific courses and one capstone project with deliverables presented to members of the Industry Advisor Board and UChicago faculty. A full list of courses and details on the application process will be available at finmath.uchicago.edu. Sign up to receive updates on the program launch and application.
The QD Certificate will be open to UChicago graduate students across various programs, including Data Science, Financial Mathematics, Computer Science, Computational and Applied Mathematics, Finance, Statistics, Physics, and more.
The program is anticipated to launch in Autumn 2026.
AI is changing how we work, and the need for domain expertise to help shape and evaluate outcomes has never been more important. We’re excited to strengthen our engagement with promising students at the University of Chicago to help prepare them for a career in a fast-evolving industry.”
Pranat Pathak, Global Head of Fixed Income, Commodities and Core Technology and International Chief Information Officer, Millennium
Quantitative Developer Certificate Program Leadership
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Mark Hendricks
Director, Financial Mathematics; Associate Senior Instructional Professor, Department of Mathematics -
David Uminsky (he/him)
Executive Director and Research Professor, Data Science Institute -
Arnab Bose, PhD
Associate Senior Instructional Professor, Program Director of MS in Applied Data Science Online Program; Chief Scientific Officer, UST AlphaAI -
Emily Backe
Executive Director, Financial Mathematics Program -
Anne Brown (she/her)
Director of Corporate Partnerships
Mark Hendricks is the Director of the Financial Mathematics program and an Associate Senior Instructional Professor in the Department of Mathematics. His industry experience includes hedge funds, trading firms, asset managers, and private equity. Mark’s roles have included quantitative research, systematic trading, and risk management.
Mark has taught courses, reviews, and workshops at the graduate level for UChicago’s Financial Math, Booth School of Business, Applied Data Science Program, and Department of Economics. His courses include portfolio and risk management, fixed income derivatives, asset pricing, valuation, and data analysis. Mark’s teaching style emphasizes active learning with application and data.
As a Ph.D. candidate for Financial Economics at the University of Chicago’s Booth School and Department of Economics, Mark won awards including a Stevanovich Fellowship and Lee Prize. Mark holds an M.A. in Economics and a B.S. in Mathematics.
David Uminsky joined the University of Chicago in September 2020 as a senior research associate and Executive Director of Data Science. He was previously an associate professor of Mathematics and Executive Director of the Data Institute at University of San Francisco (USF). His research interests are in machine learning, signal processing, pattern formation, and dynamical systems. David is an associate editor of the Harvard Data Science Review. He was selected in 2015 by the National Academy of Sciences as a Kavli Frontiers of Science Fellow. He is also the founding Director of the BS in Data Science at USF and served as Director of the MS in Data Science program from 2014-2019. During the summer of 2018, David served as the Director of Research for the Mathematical Science Research Institute Undergrad Program on the topic of Mathematical Data Science.
Before joining USF he was a combined NSF and UC President’s Fellow at UCLA, where he was awarded the Chancellor’s Award for outstanding postdoctoral research. He holds a Ph.D. in Mathematics from Boston University and a BS in Mathematics from Harvey Mudd College.
Staff
Executive Assistant
Dr. Arnab Bose is an Associate Senior Instructional Professor, Faculty Director of the online program, and Curriculum Director in the Master of Science in Applied Data Science program at the University of Chicago Data Science Institute. He has over two and a half decades of industry experience and enjoys working with data to influence behavioral outcomes.
As an entrepreneur, Arnab had a startup focused on industrial applications of AI in healthcare, finance, semiconductor, and retail that he successfully exited post-acquisition. He is an advisor to AI companies and the Chief Scientific Officer at UST AlphaAI. At the University of Chicago, Arnab teaches Machine Learning, Machine Learning Operations, Time Series Analysis and Forecasting, and Data Science in Healthcare.
Arnab has published a book, book chapters, and numerous peer-reviewed conference & journal papers. He enjoys public speaking and has given talks in the US, Australia, Saudi Arabia, and India. He is an avid traveler and has visited the 7 wonders of the world. Arnab holds MS and PhD degrees from the University of Southern California and a BTech from the Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur, India.
Anne brings a history of successful corporate engagement, strategic partnerships, and nonprofit leadership to her role as Director of Corporate Partnerships at the Data Science Institute. Anne previously served as a national program manager at the American Red Cross. There, she led several high-impact initiatives, including the Annual Disaster Giving Program, where she successfully partnered with over 150 top corporations to advance the organization’s disaster relief efforts.
Anne’s experience extends beyond national borders, having served as an international strategic advisor, where she worked closely with sister Red Cross Societies to craft and implement comprehensive resource mobilization strategies. Before her work at the Red Cross, she served on the Development team at Equal Justice Works, a nonprofit dedicated to creating a sustainable pathway for recent law graduates to enter public interest law.
Anne also holds a master’s degree in public policy from the Harris School at the University of Chicago.
