Member of Research Staff, Causal Inference, Voleon Securities

The Voleon Group is building Voleon Securities, a new business that provides liquidity in securities markets using state-of-the-art AI/ML techniques. Leveraging over a decade of experience from our affiliate, Voleon Capital Management—a multibillion-dollar asset manager—we apply machine learning to financial markets at the industry’s frontier. We seek an experienced and creative causal inference researcher to join our growing ML research group, with a preference for candidates who combine strong theoretical foundations with hands-on industrial application of causal methods. Financial applications of causal inference demand novel approaches beyond current academic state-of-the-art, requiring deep expertise to inspire new methodology.

This role offers the opportunity to help build a modern securities business grounded in cutting-edge AI/ML and statistics. Your colleagues include internationally recognized experts in artificial intelligence and machine learning research, alongside seasoned finance and technology professionals. As a Member of Research Staff, you will work at the forefront of statistical machine learning, collaborating with a team that has published hundreds of academic articles in top-tier venues. Voleon fosters a culture of curiosity, collegiality, and creativity, founded in 2007 by two leading scientists.

About the role

Your work will focus on financial market prediction and portfolio optimization, addressing the noisy and non-classical statistical behavior of markets. With over a decade of pioneering ML applications in this domain, we provide complex and diverse datasets to develop and refine predictive models. This is an enduringly challenging problem with immediate, unambiguous results—applying years of academic training to real-world impact. You will engage across the entire lifecycle of applied research, from foundational research to productizing solutions and validating their performance in live trading.

Relocation and work visa eligibility are available for qualified candidates.

Responsibilities

• Develop a deep understanding of Voleon’s challenges and methodologies, proposing causal inference research innovations and experiments to build, maintain, and optimize market models.
• Prepare and analyze new market datasets to gain insights into market microstructure.
• Develop, validate, and implement improvements to our market models.
• Design and conduct synthetic and live trading experiments to refine understanding of market behavior.
• Communicate and collaborate effectively with other Members of Research Staff and Software Engineers at every stage, driving progress toward tangible outcomes.
• Stay current with the latest causal inference academic research to identify novel approaches for application in our domain.

Requirements

• Ph.D.-level coursework is required; a Ph.D. in a relevant field is preferred.
• Background in causal inference and statistics, with a strong track record of publishing in top-tier journals and conferences.
• Evidence of strong mathematical abilities (e.g., publication record, graduate coursework, or competition placement).
• Interest in software development techniques and willingness to write production-level code (Python).
• Eagerness to work in a fast-paced, growing business.
• Interest in financial applications is essential, though prior finance industry experience is not required.

Benefits

Compensation range: $250K - $275K.