Eva, PhD - Quantitative Researcher

Eva V., PhD - Quantitative Researcher at White Oak Asset Management

Where are you from and what is your education background? Where did you study? What was your research projet?

My education background is Applied mathematics, I did my PhD at EPFL. My research project involved creating and analyzing numerical methods to solve equations on a computer.

Why did you decide to pursue the PhD/Post-doc journey?

It seemed like a natural step, I enjoyed my master studies and wanted to continue my education, in addition I believed that having a PhD would grant me a more interesting positions in the industry.

It is often said that the PhD is a marathon not a sprint race. What are your thoughts about it?

Yes, definitely, I also have the impression that PhD is built out of 4 steps (times when you actually get publishable results), the other days are only slowly leading to them and usually feel pointless.

When did you decide that you didn’t want to pursue an academic career? Was it before starting your PhD journey or during your PhD Studies (at the start, mid, at the end or after)?

Towards the end, I was feeling very burnt out at the end of it all.

When did you transition into industry?

Right after completing my PhD I started to looks for positions in the industry.

What is a current position? What was/were your previous job(s) (If this is not your first job in private)?

I work as a quantitative researcher in a hedge fund in Geneva. This is my first job in the private sector.

Is your job related to what you have done during your PhD/Post-doc?

Not necessarily, but it’s useful to have done  a quantitative discipline.

What are the aspects that you like the most about your job?

The content of the job is very interesting and fun, I enjoy the company of my colleagues and the money.

How has your work-life balance changed since moving to industry?

I do work longer hours, I feel less stressed, I never think about my job outside of the office and the atmosphere feels more chill.

How did you adapt to the cultural and operational differences between academia and industry?

I don’t think it was anyhow difficult, all felt very natural.

Were there any new skills or knowledge areas you had to develop for your role in the industry?

Not before starting, but after I started surely, I am still in the process of learning about the field.

How difficult was it, to gain the required knowledge when you first started your job(s)?

The start was quite difficult for me, the first months I was exhausted.

What was your experience concerning the transition into industry? What were some of the challenges you faced during your transition?

To understand where I am a good candidate, I suppose I thought I could get hired based on my “potential” but the competition is high and employers opt for experienced candidates. The main challenges were mainly psychological, the frustration that comes with all the rejections is quite high.

What helped you before the transition (career events, workshops, contacting people on linkedin, friends)?

I think some courses on building a nice CV and how to write a motivation letter, specialized for PhD students, were helpful. Otherwise former colleagues/friends with useful hints on how to prepare for an interview.

According to you which are the personal/soft skills that are mostly needed to undergo a successful transition into industry?

I suppose as for any transition, to be able to adapt well. Otherwise I don’t have a good answer for this.

In your case which personal/soft skills helped you during your transition into industry?  

As I didn’t really find just the transition itself too difficult, I don’t have an answer to this. The hard part was to land the job, afterwards it worked itself out quite naturally.

What advices made the difference in your professional development?

Not sure.

What aspects of your academic studies helped you during your transition in industry (ppt presentation, public speaking, teaching, scientific project management, teamwork, multitasking etc)?

I would say teamwork.

It is also said that networking plays an important role in transitioning into industry. Was it the case for you?

It think it is generally, but for me no. The only place where I got some help from someone I knew, would be an advice on which book to read from to prepare for an interview.

Did you do one or multiple internship(s), traineeship(s), BNF project(s), in the private sector after your PhD studies or Postdoc before being hired for a more “permanent” job in this sector? If yes, was it via the unemployment program?

Yes, I did a BNF project. I worked at an NGO for 3 months before, but I don’t think it was anyhow helpful for landing my current permanent job. I do find it as a good experience personally anyway.

What advice would you give to PhDs and postdocs who are willing to look for opportunities outside research academia or in industry?

Try to identify well in which sector you have a good chance to get a position, don’t be too picky in choosing your first job, getting the first one is quite difficult, getting some after is probably easier (don’t know, haven’t done that yet), once you already have some experience.

If you could go back, would you change anything about your career path?

The path probably not, the content probably yes.

What can I wish you for the next coming years?

Happiness and peace :)