The Credit Research Initiative (CRI) team of the NUS Risk Management Institute invites PhD candidates/holders from quantitative disciplines to apply for its Research Fellowship. The successful candidates are expected to join the CRI Development Team.

Responsibilities (include but not limited to):

• Conducting individual research for journal publications on credit risk management, financial modelling and empirical analyses.
• Participating in the CRI operations in terms of model development/validation, data production, system enhancement and knowledge dissemination.
• Participating in the consulting projects for external parties (e.g. bespoke model development/validation).

The CRI is committed to achieving academic excellence and practical relevance. Over the course of its developments, it has produced top-tier original research and has helped a number of corporates, financial institutions and international organizations to solve real-world problems. For example, the CRI right now collaborates with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) in multiple projects. Its Bottom-up Default Analysis (BuDA) toolbox has been applied in a number of IMF stability assessments in various national contexts with rich policy implications.

Requirements:

• A PhD candidate/holder from a quantitative discipline, e.g. Economics, Finance, Mathematics, Statistics, Computer Science, Physics, etc. The successful candidate is expected to obtain his/her PhD degrees at the time of appointment.
• Someone who intends to do good research and strives to have a real-world impact.
• Someone with great curiosity in the unknowns and the capability to learn fast.
• A team player comfortable working with a diverse team in a multi-cultural environment.
• Someone who has strong sense of responsibility and is resilient when faced with challenges.
• Someone with good oral and written communication skills.

 

Applicants should submit their applications electronically to rmillke@nus.edu.sg. Your application should include:

• Application Form;
• NUS Personal Data Consent for Job Applicants;
• A detailed CV including publications;
• A statement of future research plan and samples of research work;
• Two reference letters.

We regret that only shortlisted candidates will be notified.

Be part of a dynamic team in analysing risk in today’s financial markets. An opportunity exists to join the Risk Management Institute (RMI) as a Research Analyst / Associate in the Credit Research Initiative (CRI). You will compute and publish probabilities of default (PD) of listed firms globally based on RMI’s quantitative model, and contribute to the on-going research and development of the model. This is a cross-functional role that requires the exploration of different dimensions of risk management. It will challenge successful applicants and is a great learning and development opportunity.

Career Benefits:

• Gain a detailed understanding of a cutting-edge quantitative credit risk model being pioneered by NUS RMI under the Credit Research Initiative (CRI).
• Further your knowledge in quantitative modeling and financial analysis.
• Gain experience in emerging technologies (e.g. cloud/grid computing, GPU computing, FPGA).
• Benefit from a world-class research environment at the forefront of credit risk, with a motivated research team a well-established network.

Successful applicant can look forward to join one of the team(s) below.

 

1. Validation Team

The Validation Team (VT) handles the assessment of models servicing a wide range of activities across the CRI, including Probability of Default, Actuarial Spread and Stress Testing models. As a member in the Validation Team, you will work on a variety of models covering many aspects of the model life cycle, including data management, methodology, programming and quantitative assessment. Successful candidates will contribute to the CRI’s assessment and evaluation of credit risk models.

Responsibilities:

• Independent evaluation of existing risk models including PD, AS and Stress Testing models.
• Assist with the delivery of the validation plan, ensuring timely identification of issues.
• Quantitative assessment of model performance via data evaluation and statistical testing.
• Coordination with internal stakeholders on model issues, achieving suitable resolutions.
• Deal with urgent and/or ad-hoc requests.

Requirements:

• Preferably major in the area of Economics, Statistics, Mathematics, Finance, Physics, Computer Science, or similar discipline.
• Proactive attitude, strong sense of responsibility.
• Independent thinker and fast learner, strong interest in credit risk analysis.
• Curious, with ability of speaking up and challenging perceived wisdom.
• Strong focus on quality control and attention to details.
• Familiarity with MATLAB, Python or R.
• Experience in SQL, VBA or Julia is a plus.

 

2. Development Team

The Development Team (DT) continuously improves the CRI’s in-house models and systems, and develops new applications. As a member of the DT, the candidate should have an in-depth understanding about CRI products and always keep an open mind to new things. The job scope ranges from data analysis, database design to website and API design and so on. We welcome candidates who enjoy the challenging and exciting working environment.

Responsibilities:

• Gain a deep understanding on CRI models by putting them into practical implementation.
• Develop end-user products such as APIs, websites to facilitate the use of CRI models and data as well as build tools and infrastructure for internal usage.

Requirements:

• Academic background of the following subjects is preferred: computer science, information technology or related discipline. Candidates who are interested in financial industry are also welcome.
• Proficient programming skills in any one of Julia, Python, MATLAB.
• Solid experience in building web applications and REST APIs using Django and Django REST Framework.
• Experience with Test Driven Development and writing unit, integration and functional tests.
• Knowledge of web application servers like Apache, Nginx and infrastructure components like Redis, Memcached, load balancers, etc.
• Working familiarity with AWS/Azure/GCP. Bonus points for experience with Docker.
• Proactive attitude and strong sense of responsibility.
• High efficiency, and able to manage multiple tasks and projects concurrently.

 

3. Market Monitoring Team

The Market Monitoring Team (MMT) is a window to continually observe financial markets and conduct relevant studies by using proprietary methods with the aim to promote CRI’s products and relate to current market events. As a member in the MMT, the candidate will quickly gain knowledge to CRI models as well as develop a greater understanding on financial markets from a credit perspective. The main tasks will be to conduct researches and financial/credit analysis on industries and companies, market surveillance for credit events and working on projects with other teams. You will have ample opportunities to improve your writing and analytical skills. Through working with other teams, you will also learn quantitative modelling and acquire useful IT and database knowledge preparing you to become a better functioning analyst who can leverage modern analytical tools.

Responsibilities:

• Conduct and publish credit/investment research reports on companies and industries in a timely manner and assist in writing quarterly and other special reports on credit market issues.
• Carry out market surveillance and to look for credit events in accordance with CRI’s credit event definition, to file credit event data in the database, etc.
• Initiate and manage inter-team projects.
• Deal with urgent and/or ad-hoc requests from supervisors.

Requirements:

• Academic background or industry experience of any of the following subjects is preferred: finance, accounting, economics, banking, business strategy, and business law. Certification of CFA or CPA is a plus. Candidates working in non-financial industry are also welcome.
• Have a proven ability to conduct financial analysis and independently analyze and write financial research reports.
• Have strong interest in the fields of investment/ credit/ risk management analysis.
• Good team player with a strong sense of responsibility.
• Able to coordinate and manage group projects between teams.
• Able to handle pressure and meet deadlines.
• Being multilingual will be a plus.

 

Applicants should submit their applications electronically to rmillke@nus.edu.sg. Kindly indicate the team you are interested in applying for in your application. Your application should include:

• Application Form;
• NUS Personal Data Consent for Job Applicants;
• A detailed CV;
• Cover letter.

We regret that only shortlisted candidates will be notified.

The Credit Research Initiative (CRI) in the Risk Management Institute of National University of Singapore offers internships to highly motivated students, both undergraduate and postgraduate, who want to acquire work experience and advanced knowledge on credit risk management. CRI is a balanced combination of scientific research and business services. Over the course of its developments, it has produced top-tier original research and has helped a number of corporates, financial institutions and international organizations to solve real-world problems. For example, the CRI right now collaborates with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) in multiple projects. Its Bottom-up Default Analysis (BuDA) toolbox has been applied in a number of IMF stability assessments in various national contexts with rich policy implications.

Interns will have ample opportunities to develop marketable skills. Through working with different quantitatively oriented teams, you will have opportunities to learn quantitative modelling, mathematical algorithms and general programming skills utilized on the frontier of CRI’s credit risk research and services. You may also develop valuable market insights, and get to interact with industry professionals through various tasks in supporting the CRI clients. If working/learning in a dynamic and exciting environment appeals to you, please do not hesitate to join us.

Successful applicant can look forward to join one of the team(s) below.

1. PRODUCT MANAGEMENT TEAM

The Product Management Team (PMT) manages and produces various credit risk products and plays a key role at CRI. PMT is mainly involved in implementing, maintaining and improving scientific computation models for CRI products. Successful candidates will have the opportunity to quickly learn the modelling approaches, mathematical algorithms and programming skills utilized for CRI’s credit risk research work.

Main Responsibilities:

• Assist to improve production system of credit risk management tools.
• Assist to improve scientific computation of credit risk measures such as Distance to Default (DTD), Probability of Default (PD) and Actuarial Spread (AS).
• Assist to analyze and examine the quality of CRI’s credit risk products.
• Analyze and investigate the jump of the credit risk measures.
• Deal with ad-hoc requests.

Requirements:

• Preferably major in the area of finance, economics, statistics, mathematics, mechanical engineering, computer science, physics or similar discipline.
• Experience in Julia and MATLAB is preferred. Other languages, e.g. C++ or Python, are welcome, but will be requested to learn/use Julia or MATLAB.
• Must be a keen learner, proactive in nature and to possess a strong sense of responsibility.
• Strong analytical techniques and problem solving skill.
• Knowledge in Financial Statement, SQL, VBA and Bloomberg Terminal would be a plus.

2. VALIDATION TEAM

The Validation Team (VT) handles the assessment of models servicing a wide range of activities across the CRI, including Probability of Default, Actuarial Spread and Stress Testing models. As a member in the Validation Team, you will work on a variety of models covering many aspects of the model life cycle, including data management, methodology, programming and quantitative assessment. Successful candidates will contribute to the CRI’s assessment and evaluation of credit risk models.

Main Responsibilities:

• Control the quality of CRI daily operations, ensuring the input data accuracy and output quality.
• Assist with the delivery of the validation plan, ensuring timely identification of issues.
• Report suspicious issues and suggest potential improvements.
• Deal with urgent and/or ad-hoc requests.

Requirements:

• Preferably major in the area of Economics, Statistics, Mathematics, Finance, Financial Engineering, Computer Science, or similar discipline.
• Proactive attitude, strong sense of responsibility and attention to details.
• Independent thinker and fast learner, strong interest in credit risk analysis.
• Familiarity with MATLAB, R or Python; Experience in Bloomberg or SQL would be a plus.

3. MARKET MONITORING TEAM

The Market Monitoring Team under the Credit Research Initiative (CRI) in Risk Management Institute (RMI) is a window to continually observe financial markets and carry relevant studies by using proprietary methods, aiming at promoting and improving CRI’s products. The main task for interns is assisting full-time analysts in terms of market surveillance, writing reports, data collection, and collaborating with other teams, etc.

Main Responsibilities:

• Carry out market surveillance by browsing media and official websites, finding out credit events in accordance with CRI’s credit event definition, entering credit event data in the database, etc.
• Follow crucial market news and assist in writing weekly, quarterly and other special reports on credit market issues.
• Deal with urgent and/or ad-hoc requests from supervisors.

Requirements:

• Be meticulous and responsible for routine works.
• Have an academic background or industry experience of any of the following subjects: finance, accounting, economics, banking, business strategy, and business law, etc.
• Be good at Excel modeling, financial analysis and written English.
• Have a proven ability to independently write and edit financial research reports.
• Be strongly interested in the fields of investment/ credit/ risk management analysis in the future career.
• Being multilingual will be a plus.

Interested applicants, please email your application to Ms Eve Liew at rmillke@nus.edu.sg