The Credit Research Initiative (CRI) team of the NUS Risk Management Institute is a world leader in studying and applying the modern data analytics to credit risk analysis. We invite Ph.D. candidates/holders from quantitative disciplines to apply for the Research Fellowship.

The CRI is committed to achieving academic excellence and practical relevance. It was launched after the 2008-2009 financial crisis and premised upon the concept of credit ratings as a public good. Over the course of its developments, it has produced top-tier original research and has helped a wide range of financial institutions, supranational organizations and FinTech companies to solve real-world problems. In collaboration with the International Monetary Fund (IMF), the CRI has developed an automated stress-testing tool based on the CRI PD system – the Bottom-up Default Analysis (BuDA) toolkit. Together with a Singapore-based FinTech company, our technology is extended to help build its credit rating system for Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs). Looking into the future, the CRI will embark on data analytics, further automate the system and make the products more actionable for various users.

Responsibilities (include but not limited to):

• Conducting individual research for journal publications on credit risk management, financial modelling, finance/economics empirical analyses, algorithm development, data analytics, databases, etc.
• 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).

Qualification Requirements:

• Expecting/Holding Ph.D. degree from a quantitative discipline, e.g. Computer Science, Mathematics, Statistics, Physics, Engineering, Operations Research, Marketing, Economics, Finance, etc. The successful candidate is expected to obtain his/her Ph.D. degree at the time of appointment.
• Intending to do good research and striving to have a real-world impact.
• With great curiosity and outstanding ability to learn fast.
• Strong team spirit and comfortable working with a diverse team in a multi-cultural environment.
• Responsible and resilient when faced with challenges.
• Excellent oral and written communication skills.

Application Materials:

• 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.

Applicants should submit their applications electronically to liew.eve@nus.edu.sg.

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. IT Operations - Systems Administrator

Responsibilities:

• Perform regular server and workstation maintenance and upgrades, for both hardware and software.
• Implement and maintain cybersecurity controls and protocols on all IT assets.
• Procurement of new IT assets, maintaining existing ones, and decommissioning of EOL assets.
• Manage and audit user accounts and permissions.
• Coordinate with different internal teams within CRI to align, recommend, and procure any IT requirements essential to upcoming projects.
• Work with the auditor to implement and maintain business continuity plans for CRI’s IT infrastructure.
• Provide technical support to users on a daily basis.

Requirements:

• Preferably major in the area of Computer Science, Information Technology, or similar discipline.
• Experience with administering Windows Server and Windows 7/8/10 operating systems.
• Familiarity with Unix, SQL, Python, and AWS (or other cloud services) is a plus.
• Experience in troubleshooting and resolving computer hardware and software issues.
• Strong customer service ethos along with great organizational, interpersonal, and communication skills.
• Enthusiasm for continual learning and always open to feedback.

 

2. 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.

Responsibilities:

• Maintain and simplify the CRI Production System.
• Analyze and interpret the credit risk measures.
• Improve the developed scientific computation of credit risk measures such as Distance to Default (DTD), Probability of Default (PD) and Actuarial Spread (AS).
• Develop and improve the practical credit risk management tools such as stress testing/scenarios analysis.
• Deal with urgent or 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, MATLAB and GitLab 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 a strong responsibility person.
• Strong analytical techniques and problem solving skill.
• Able to work independently and across different teams.
• Possess strong interpersonal, organizational and planning skills.
• Knowledge in Financial Statement, SQL, VBA and Bloomberg Terminal would be a plus.
• Able to handle pressure and meet deadlines.

 

3. Client Services Team

The Client Services Team (CST) bridges the gap between the CRI and external users and industry clients by offering tailored solutions to suit their needs. As a member in the CST, the candidate will quickly gain knowledge to CRI models and services, and exposure in handling projects and inquiries from institutional clients such as supranational organization, international banks and FinTech companies.

Responsibilities:

• Be familiar with the CRI model and solutions.
• Prepare marketing materials, RFP, presentation slides and case studies.
• Build good relationship with clients and to provide value-added services.
• Coordinate well with other teams to provide prompt and efficient services to clients.
• Handle ad-hoc projects and clients’ inquiries.
• Initiate new projects to enhance project management and operational efficiency.

Requirements:

• Academic background of the following subjects is preferred: finance, economics, business, marketing or related discipline. Candidates who are interested in the financial industry are welcomed.
• Solid understanding of credit ratings, credit risk, quantitative models and financial analysis.
• Proficient in spoken/written English.
• Possess strong analytical skills and problem solving skills.
• Possess good communication and interpersonal skills.
• A good team player with a strong sense of responsibility.
• High efficiency, and able to manage multiple tasks and projects concurrently.
• Proficient in Microsoft product suite, knowledge in VBA, Photoshop and video making are a plus.

 

4. 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.

 

5. 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 liew.eve@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.