Logic Labs: Academia-to-Industry Transition

A bridge for PhDs and Postdocs in Mathematics, Physics, and Computer Science to enter the Quantitative Finance industry.

Program Commitment

No fees until placement. After securing a role in mathematical finance, participants donate 15 days of their salary annually for three years to a vetted charity.

Program Leads

Himalaya Senapati

Himalaya Senapati

Equity Derivative Analyst, HSBC | Visiting Faculty, CMI

Himalaya completed his PhD in theoretical physics at Chennai Mathematical Institute with Govind Krishnaswami, working on nonlinear dynamics and chaos. He then transitioned to the mathematical finance industry, initially as a Core Quant Strat at Goldman Sachs (2021–2023) and currently as an Equity Derivative Quant at HSBC (2023–present).

Arjun Arul

Arjun Arul

Adjunct Faculty, IIT Gandhinagar | Academic Coordinator, Indian Computing Olympiad | Ex-Co-Director, Codechef

Arjun completed his BSc in Math and CS, followed by an MSc in CS from the Chennai Mathematical Institute. With a passion for the informatics olympiad ecosystem for over 16 years, Arjun has played diverse roles, including participant, problem setter, organizer, coach, and lecturer. He has shared his expertise at numerous coding camps nationwide, including renowned institutions like IITs and IISc, covering a wide range of topics.

Suggested Readings

The program focuses on the mathematics, statistics, programming, and finance most relevant for quantitative interviews and entry-level quant research and trading roles.

Probability

Counting methods, conditional probability, expectation, random variables, and limit theorems, with emphasis on interview-style problem solving.

  • A First Course in Probability by Sheldon Ross
  • An Introduction to Probability Theory and Its Applications, Ch. 1-5 by William Feller

Quant Puzzles

Puzzles are common denominators across the entire industry.

  • Heard on the Street by Timothy Crack
  • Quant Job Interview Questions and Answers by Mark Joshi
  • A Practical Guide to Quantitative Finance Interviews (“The Green Book”) by Xinfeng Zhou
  • Brainstellar

Statistics

Linear models, hypothesis testing, estimators.

  • Applied Linear Statistical Models, Ch. 1-3 & App. A, by Kutner et al

Algorithmic Coding

Time and Space Complexity of algorithms, Data structures, dynamic programming.

Finance Basics

Time value of money, no-arbitrage pricing, fixed income, forwards, futures, and vanilla options.

Stochastic Calculus

Brownian motion, Itô's Lemma, Martingales, and the Black-Scholes-Merton framework.

Program Structure

The transition from academia to quantitative finance requires not only mathematical maturity, but also familiarity with programming, statistics, financial modeling, and interview-style problem solving.

Phase 1: On-Site

A two-week in-person training camp focused on coding, probability, and quantitative problem solving.

Phase 2: Online Program

A four-month online phase centered around self-study, group study, and problem-solving discussions. Participants work through reading lists and problem sets independently, supplemented by periodic online discussion sessions on mathematics, programming, statistics, and finance.

Phase 3: Placement Support

We provide guidance on applications, interviews, networking, and referrals whenever possible. Participants are also encouraged to actively explore opportunities through LinkedIn, alumni networks, and direct applications to quantitative finance roles.

Alumni Placements

2025

Candidate Background Placed Firm
Prakash Singh PhD Physics, Western University Quantitative Researcher, Teesta Investment
Nisarg Bhatt PhD Physics, IISc Quantitative Researcher, Teesta Investment
Saipriya Dubey PhD Maths, IIT Bombay Quantitative Researcher, Undisclosed
Namrata Arvind PhD Maths, IISER Pune Quantitative Researcher, Undisclosed
Bharadwaj Vedula PhD Physics, IISER Bhopal Research Intern, Synkrato

2024

Candidate Background Placed Firm
Abhishek Bharadwaj PhD Maths, CMI Model Validation, MUFG
Saurabh Gosavi PhD Maths, Rutgers Model Validation, Deutsche Bank
Sudeep Podder PhD Maths, IIT Madras Internal Audit, Goldman Sachs
Nirmal Kotal PhD Maths, CMI Model Risk Management, Deutsche Bank