O
PhD Quant Focus 2026
internship•Chicago
About this role
<p><strong><span data-contrast="auto">Optiver PhD Quant Focus</span></strong><span data-ccp-props="{}"> </span></p>
<p> <br><span data-contrast="auto">Fast-track your path from PhD to Quantitative Research.</span><span data-ccp-props="{}"> </span></p>
<p><span data-contrast="auto"> You’ve spent years developing rigorous hypotheses, mastering mathematical and scientific techniques and defending your findings. PhD Quant Focus is a three-day deep dive designed to show how your academic studies apply to the practical challenges of quantitative research and machine learning in global financial markets. </span><strong><em><span data-contrast="auto">For top performers, the program provides a fast-tracked pathway into our PhD Quantitative Research internship for the following summer. </span></em></strong><span data-ccp-props="{}"> </span></p>
<p><span data-contrast="auto">Financial markets offer one of the most complex, dynamic and data-intensive quantitative challenges. To navigate this complexity, we compress the scientific cycle to rapidly transform advanced mathematics, statistical modelling and machine learning techniques into trading algorithms that generate immediate performance outcomes.</span><span data-ccp-props="{}"> </span></p>
<p><span data-contrast="auto">PhD Quant Focus places you directly in this research setting through hands-on workshops, practical technical discussions and direct interaction with researchers and traders who have made the transition from academia.</span><span data-ccp-props="{}"> </span></p>
<p><span data-contrast="auto"> </span><span data-ccp-props="{}"> </span></p>
<p><strong><span data-contrast="auto">Details</span></strong><span data-ccp-props="{}"> </span></p>
<ul>
<li data-leveltext="" data-font="Symbol" data-listid="1" data-list-defn-props="{"335552541":1,"335559685":720,"335559991":360,"469769226":"Symbol","469769242":[8226],"469777803":"left","469777804":"","469777815":"multilevel"}" data-aria-posinset="1" data-aria-level="1"><strong><span data-contrast="auto">Who: </span></strong><span data-contrast="auto">PhD students in STEM fields, with a preferred background or experience in machine learning (e.g., Computer Science, Statistics, Machine Learning, Electrical & Computer Engineering, Applied Mathematics)</span><span data-ccp-props="{}"> </span></li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li data-leveltext="" data-font="Symbol" data-listid="1" data-list-defn-props="{"335552541":1,"335559685":720,"335559991":360,"469769226":"Symbol","469769242":[8226],"469777803":"left","469777804":"","469777815":"multilevel"}" data-aria-posinset="2" data-aria-level="1"><strong><span data-contrast="auto">When: </span></strong><span data-contrast="auto">April 15–17, 2026</span><span data-ccp-props="{}"> </span></li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li data-leveltext="" data-font="Symbol" data-listid="1" data-list-defn-props="{"335552541":1,"335559685":720,"335559991":360,"469769226":"Symbol","469769242":[8226],"469777803":"left","469777804":"","469777815":"multilevel"}" data-aria-posinset="3" data-aria-level="1"><strong><span data-contrast="auto">Where: </span></strong><span data-contrast="auto">Optiver’s Chicago office</span><span data-ccp-props="{}"> </span></li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li data-leveltext="" data-font="Symbol" data-listid="1" data-list-defn-props="{"335552541":1,"335559685":720,"335559991":360,"469769226":"Symbol","469769242":[8226],"469777803":"left","469777804":"","469777815":"multilevel"}" data-aria-posinset="4" data-aria-level="1"><strong><span data-contrast="auto">Travel:</span></strong><span data-contrast="auto"> Flights and accommodation fully covered</span><span data-ccp-props="{}"> </span></li>
</ul>
<p><span data-contrast="auto"> </span><span data-ccp-props="{}"> </span></p>
<p><strong><span data-contrast="auto">What you’ll do</span></strong><span data-ccp-props="{}"> </span></p>
<p><span data-contrast="auto">During this three-day program, you’ll work closely alongside Optiver’s quantitative researchers, traders and engineers in a series of hands-on sessions that mirror the types of problems they solve and how they approach them in practice:</span><span data-ccp-props="{}"> </span></p>
<ul>
<li data-leveltext="" data-font="Symbol" data-listid="2" data-list-defn-props="{"335552541":1,"335559685":720,"335559991":360,"469769226":"Symbol","469769242":[8226],"469777803":"left","469777804":"","469777815":"multilevel"}" data-aria-posinset="1" data-aria-level="1"><strong><span data-contrast="auto">Participate in hands-on trading workshops</span></strong> <br><span data-contrast="auto">Build foundational intuition around market making and quantitative decision-making and see firsthand how research connects to real-time market dynamics and trading outcomes.</span><span data-ccp-props="{}"> </span></li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li data-leveltext="" data-font="Symbol" data-listid="2" data-list-defn-props="{"335552541":1,"335559685":720,"335559991":360,"469769226":"Symbol","469769242":[8226],"469777803":"left","469777804":"","469777815":"multilevel"}" data-aria-posinset="2" data-aria-level="1"><strong><span data-contrast="auto">Work through applied quantitative research challenges</span></strong> <br><span data-contrast="auto">Gain practical experience in applying data analysis, statistical modelling and machine learning techniques to extract signals from large-scale, noisy and event-driven data.</span><span data-ccp-props="{}"> </span></li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li data-leveltext="" data-font="Symbol" data-listid="2" data-list-defn-props="{"335552541":1,"335559685":720,"335559991":360,"469769226":"Symbol","469769242":[8226],"469777803":"left","469777804":"","469777815":"multilevel"}" data-aria-posinset="3" data-aria-level="1"><strong><span data-contrast="auto">Engage directly with experienced quantitative researchers</span></strong> <br><span data-contrast="auto">Get insights into their day-to-day work, career paths, and tips on successfully transitioning from PhD to industry.</span><span data-ccp-props="{}"> </span></li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li data-leveltext="" data-font="Symbol" data-listid="2" data-list-defn-props="{"335552541":1,"335559685":720,"335559991":360,"469769226":"Symbol","469769242":[8226],"469777803":"left","469777804":"","469777815":"multilevel"}" data-aria-posinset="4" data-aria-level="1"><strong><span data-contrast="auto">Receive practical feedback to advance your transition to industry</span></strong> <br><span data-contrast="auto">Get feedback on how you frame problems, reason through assumptions and communicate your thinking in an applied setting.</span><span data-ccp-props="{}"> </span></li>
</ul>
<p><strong><span data-contrast="auto">Who you are</span></strong><span data-ccp-props="{}"> </span></p>
<ul>
<li data-leveltext="" data-font="Symbol" data-listid="3" data-list-defn-props="{"335552541":1,"335559685":720,"335559991":360,"469769226":"Symbol","469769242":[8226],"469777803":"left","469777804":"","469777815":"multilevel"}" data-aria-posinset="1" data-aria-level="1"><span data-contrast="auto">A current PhD student in a STEM or highly quantitative discipline with interest or experience in machine learning, statistics, applied mathematics, physics or related areas.</span><span data-ccp-props="{}"> </span></li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li data-leveltext="" data-font="Symbol" data-listid="3" data-list-defn-props="{"335552541":1,"335559685":720,"335559991":360,"469769226":"Symbol","469769242":[8226],"469777803":"left","469777804":"","469777815":"multilevel"}" data-aria-posinset="2" data-aria-level="1"><span data-contrast="auto">Available for a Summer 2026 or 2027 internship, with an anticipated PhD graduation between 2026 and 2029.</span><span data-ccp-props="{}"> </span></li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li data-leveltext="" data-font="Symbol" data-listid="3" data-list-defn-props="{"335552541":1,"335559685":720,"335559991":360,"469769226":"Symbol","469769242":[8226],"469777803":"left","469777804":"","469777815":"multilevel"}" data-aria-posinset="3" data-aria-level="1"><span data-contrast="auto">Motivated by complex, data-intensive problems, comfortable operating in conditions of uncertainty, and confident in applying programming, mathematical modelling and data-driven methodologies to solve challenging research questions.</span><span data-ccp-props="{}"> </span></li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li data-leveltext="" data-font="Symbol" data-listid="3" data-list-defn-props="{"335552541":1,"335559685":720,"335559991":360,"469769226":"Symbol","469769242":[8226],"469777803":"left","469777804":"","469777815":"multilevel"}" data-aria-posinset="4" data-aria-level="1"><span data-contrast="auto">Clear communicator of technical ideas who thrives in collaborative, multidisciplinary environments.</span><span data-ccp-props="{}"> </span></li>
</ul>
<p><strong><span data-contrast="auto">What you'll get</span></strong><span data-ccp-props="{}"> </span></p>
<ul>
<li data-leveltext="" data-font="Symbol" data-listid="4" data-list-defn-props="{"335552541":1,"335559685":720,"335559991":360,"469769226":"Symbol","469769242":[8226],"469777803":"left","469777804":"","469777815":"multilevel"}" data-aria-posinset="1" data-aria-level="1"><strong><span data-contrast="auto">Direct pathway into Optiver’s PhD Quantitative Research internships</span></strong> <br><span data-contrast="auto">High-performing participants will enter an accelerated interview process for our Summer 2027 internship, with select candidates considered for Summer 2026.</span><span data-ccp-props="{}"> </span></li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li data-leveltext="" data-font="Symbol" data-listid="4" data-list-defn-props="{"335552541":1,"335559685":720,"335559991":360,"469769226":"Symbol","469769242":[8226],"469777803":"left","469777804":"","469777815":"multilevel"}" data-aria-posinset="2" data-aria-level="1"><strong><span data-contrast="auto">Clarity on how academic research translates into applied trading impact</span></strong> <br><span data-contrast="auto">Understand how core PhD strengths are applied, assessed and developed within Optiver’s quantitative research teams, and what strong research performance looks like in practice.</span><span data-ccp-props="{}"> </span></li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li data-leveltext="" data-font="Symbol" data-listid="4" data-list-defn-props="{"335552541":1,"335559685":720,"335559991":360,"469769226":"Symbol","469769242":[8226],"469777803":"left","469777804":"","469777815":"multilevel"}" data-aria-posinset="3" data-aria-level="1"><strong><span data-contrast="auto">Exposure to Optiver’s collaborative, multidisciplinary research culture</span></strong> <br><span data-contrast="auto">Experience firsthand how researchers, traders, and engineers collaborate, openly share knowledge, and rapidly iterate to deliver breakthroughs at scale.</span><span data-ccp-props="{}"> </span></li>
<li data-leveltext="" data-font="Symbol" data-listid="4" data-list-defn-props="{"335552541":1,"335559685":720,"335559991":360,"469769226":"Symbol","469769242":[8226],"469777803":"left","469777804":"","469777815":"multilevel"}" data-aria-posinset="4" data-aria-level="1"><strong><span data-contrast="auto">A network of like-minded PhD candidates and experienced researchers</span></strong> <br><span data-contrast="auto">Build connections with peers and team members and compare approaches, problem-solving styles and research backgrounds.</span><span data-ccp-props="{}"> </span></li>
</ul><div class="content-pay-transparency"><div class="pay-input"><div class="description"><p> </p>
<p><em>Following your participation in this program, you may choose to move forward with the application process for Optiver’s internship program. Below is the expected base salary for an internship position in our Trading or Tech departments. This is a good-faith estimate of the base pay scale and sign on bonus for this position and offers will ultimately be determined based on experience, education, skill set, and performance in the interview process. Internship positions in our Trading and Tech departments are also be eligible for benefits including Optiver-covered flights, living accommodations and commuting stipends (where applicable); and office perks, including daily breakfast and lunch, social events and clubs. </em></p></div><div class="title">Internship Base Salary Range</div><div class="pay-range"><span>$90,000</span><span class="divider">—</span><span>$90,000 USD</span></div></div></div>
What you'll do
- Participants will engage in hands-on workshops and practical technical discussions mirroring the challenges faced by quantitative researchers, traders, and engineers in global financial markets. This involves applying data analysis, statistical modeling, and machine learning to extract signals and build foundational intuition around market making.
About Optiver
Create better access and prices for all – that’s our goal for financial markets the world over. As a leading global electronic market maker, we are dedicated to our mission of continuously improving the market. It’s a responsibility we don’t take lightly. It’s the driving force behind our business. Even in times of extreme volatility, we stay the course. Resolute in our belief that the market should always be liquid for economies to thrive.
As one of the oldest market-making institutions, we’re a trusted partner of exchanges. Our contribution to them ensures they remain stable, transparent and competitive. We provide liquidity to financial markets using our own capital, at our own risk, trading a wide range of products: listed derivatives, cash equities, ETFs, bonds, and foreign currencies.
We strongly believe in the positive power of the world’s markets. That’s why we’re committed to leading the way in market making for environmental, social, and corporate governance (ESG) products.
Optiver is a global company with offices in Amsterdam, Sydney, Chicago, Austin, Taipei, Hong Kong, Shanghai, London and Singapore.
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Frequently Asked Questions
What does a PhD Quant Focus 2026 do at Optiver?
As a PhD Quant Focus 2026 at Optiver, you will: participants will engage in hands-on workshops and practical technical discussions mirroring the challenges faced by quantitative researchers, traders, and engineers in global financial markets. This involves applying data analysis, statistical modeling, and machine learning to extract signals and build foundational intuition around market making..
Is the PhD Quant Focus 2026 position at Optiver remote?
The PhD Quant Focus 2026 position at Optiver is based in Chicago, United States. Contact the company through Clera for specific work arrangement details.
How do I apply for the PhD Quant Focus 2026 position at Optiver?
You can apply for the PhD Quant Focus 2026 position at Optiverdirectly through Clera. Click the "Apply Now" button above to start your application. Clera's AI-powered platform will help match your profile with this opportunity and guide you through the application process.