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prospective students

Student testimonials

MSc students

Waed Zinnedin, MSc Computational Finance 2010/11

"My dream was to become a trader, but nowadays, to be a good trader, it is not enough only to understand the finance and economics part. Traders are also expected to know more about computing and how to use computational techniques in financial markets to improve their trading and to increase their profit. This is exactly what I found in the MSc in Computational Finance at CCFEA. It was an amazing study year for me, and I gained a lot of knowledge and opportunities. I got an internship through CCFEA to work with professional traders in a trading company. Now I am starting working with this company as a real stock trader which has been my dream for a long time. Many thanks to my professors because you were like family to me; thanks to CCFEA and University of Essex because you helped me to achieve my dream."

Daniel Schiermer, MSc Financial Software Engineering 2010/11

"After finishing my bachelors degree in Software Development, I was looking for a masters that could take me to the next level in the software industry. The MSc in Financial Software Engineering seemed like a good opportunity, as I always had an interest in financial markets. The fact that I did not have any prior knowledge about finance was not a problem. The training started from scratch and ended up at a high technical level that not only covered basics about financial instruments and markets, but also the mathematical side of things. Modules in simulation and computational modelling in finance provided me with great insights on how to utilise advanced computational models to simulate and predict markets, how to analyse the results, and use these results in practise.  Most of my professors were very friendly, and I owe them all great thanks for their guidance throughout the year. Doing my MSc at the University of Essex was definitely one of the best decisions I have ever made. I believe that the skills I acquired have made me highly employable, which was proven by the fact that I was hired by an investment bank even before finishing my MSc."

Alexander Hughes, MSc Agent-Based Computational Economics and E-Markets 2009/10

"I spent many years looking for a post graduate course that would allow me to pursue my interest in complex adaptive systems and evolutionary computing in a financial and economic context. The CCFEA MSc in Agent based computational economics was the perfect way for me to leverage my existing knowledge of finance and computing to better my understanding of the dynamics of financial markets giving me access to the latest research in agent based behavioural economics. I was able to choose modules on topics such as heuristic optimization, evolutionary computing, quantitative finance and MATLAB. The module on agent based financial market modelling was undoubtedly the most academically stimulating undertaking of my life. CCFEA opened a new gateway for me to understand and explore the world of finance and I would recommend it to anyone looking for a more diverse and multidisciplinary approach."

Thomas Chopping, MSc Computational Finance 2009/10

"My bachelors in economics, which I also studied at Essex, gave me a good overview of the financial markets and their place in the economy as a whole.

When deciding what to do next, I found many of the job adverts which appealed to me required a combination of financial knowledge, econometrics, maths, and programming skills. CCFEA's MSc Computational Finance is one of the few courses in the country which allows one to study all these areas in depth. It allows students to develop technical abilities which they can immediately apply at work, such as MATLAB programming, Value-at-Risk methods, and heuristic optimisation.

 

I particularly enjoyed studying such a broad range of subjects and the knowledge gained from this allows me to tackle problems in finance from a number of different angles. A regular series of seminars by external speakers means students can also become familiar with current industry practice, an advantage in job interviews. The course is very empirical and this has made me familiar with handling data from a number of markets.

Students are also well prepared to work with this data as most of the modules include some programming. The lecturers make an effort to keep the material very current and in all of my modules we were studying work right at the research frontier. These strengths are particularly valued by potential employers, making the course highly marketable.

 

As a specialised department, CCFEA has a low student to staff ratio, which means members of staff get to know the students well. This was particularly helpful when we came to do our Master's dissertations. The students come from a wide range of academic backgrounds which allowed us to appreciate the strengths and limits of different ways of thinking. I have enjoyed my time at CCFEA very much, have learnt a great deal, and can thoroughly recommend the MSc Computational Finance programme."

 

Wasim Lakdawala, MSc Financial Software Engineering 2009/10

"With my background in engineering, I was looking to get into the financial arena but was very apprehensive due to my complete lack of knowledge of anything finance related, with great hesitancy I enrolled for the Masters programme at CCFEA, and I was pleasantly surprised, not only did I get an excellent founding in all things related to finance, from basic concepts like bonds, equities, derivatives to advanced concepts like agent based simulations, volatility models, vanilla and exotic derivative pricing theory, credit risk analysis etc. but was able to advance my software knowledge with topics like refactoring, design patterns as well as learn about software concepts underlying financial systems. The professors were excellent and very patient, no question or query went unanswered, and I was provided with ample opportunity to push my boundaries without ever feeling lost. Overall, this one year has been an excellent learning experience inside the classroom as well as outside, and I can safely say that doing my MSc at CCFEA was one of my better decisions."

Chatraporn Satirawatkul, MSc Computational Finance 2009/10

"My background was engineering. I decided to study at CCFEA whose courses combine Financial, Mathematical and Computational knowledge together. Studying at CCFEA gave me numerous experiences and opportunities. This course not only gave me a theoretical knowledge but also practical knowledge. There are computer lab classes provided in every module in order to practice and understand these taught subjects better. In addition, the professors were kind and excellent, especially my supervisor, he is very kind and helped me a lot. "

Payut Iemdeengamlert , MSc Computational Finance 2007/08

"Studying at CCFEA gives me a great opportunity to explore lots of knowledge in financial area providing by wonderful staffs, and also great computer facilities. I really enjoyed my course in here. CCFEA gives me not only a degree, but also with an excellent experience. Finally, I would like to give a special thank to my supervior, Wing Lon, for taking a very good care of me during 1-year period at CCFEA."

Nivesh Pawar, MSc Computational Finance 2007/08

"I really enjoyed my time at CCFEA. The courses offered in the department are excellent and provided me with a good transition from an engineering background into the finance domain. The key in all the areas is to develop a good theoretical understanding with practical knowledge. The faculty members are always available for help and support, it is more like a family than a centre. The faculty members are excellent and the Centre has very good connections with the City Associates. Everything in the course is very much relevant to a future career as this course is very specialized and career oriented. I am very much clear about my future and I have also discussed the possibilities with the CCFEA faculty members. The department has also provided me with a CCFEA bursary award to support my studies financially. My favourite place is the CCFEA Lab where I spent most of my time. It has good computer facility with all financial software and also its an excellent place for discussions. Overall, I must say, it was an excellent intellectual experience at CCFEA".   

Pankaj Shah, MSc Financial Software Engineering 2007/08

"I was from a pure from IT background and wanted to breakthrough into the field of quantitative finance. MSc in Financial Software Engineering provided me with the opportunity to develop my skills in the field of computational finance by building on my previous experience in the technology sector. The course provided me with wonderful experience both in and out of classroom. The CCFEA course curriculum is designed to give students maximum exposure in real financial markets by providing opportunity to do sponsored projects from companies like Idea Group and HSBC. Working for these well known companies in the field of financial markets helped me to develop links in the world of financial markets. The CCFEA modules provided me theoretical knowledge of equity trading  strategies such as pairs trading and multiple stock rebalancing both of which I implemented and tested out on the CCFEA SETS Simulator in the course of my project work. CCFEA also provided me with the opportunity to do full time equity trader training at a joint summer school program with a city trading company The Institute For Marketing Technology. Overall it has been very fascinating and a great learning experience to be part of CCFEA. "

Jenny Castellanos Pinzon, MSc Computational Finance 2006/07

Jenny is continuing her studies at CCFEA with a PhD in Computational Finance.

Despite having no prior computing experience, Jenny not only achieved high level of skills for model implementation, she won the best student award for MSc Computational Finance in 2006/7. Jenny's MSc dissertation on CIR Modelling of UK Term Structure Using Kalman Filter received high commendation and we welcome Jenny as a new Phd student at CCFEA. Jenny has been selected to be an HSBC intern in the area of credit risk.

"Studying at CCFEA has been a very challenging and rewarding experience. The wide range of topics covered gave me an extensive theoretical and most importantly practical exposure to the world of finance. As I did not have any computing background when I started the MSc in Computational Finance, the training in Matlab, the hands on lab sessions and the projects in Finance were essential for me to program and implement models with confidence. I always found support and guidance in the excellent lecturers and friendly staff of the Centre. For me this year was a great learning experience, a rigorous program that really made me push my boundaries and that taught me new models, tools and skills that will certainly be very useful in my future research and career."

Chris Parker, MSc Computational Finance 2006/07

Chris is intending to continue his studies with a PhD at the London Business School

"CCFEA has been a wonderful experience both in and out of the classroom.  The broad range of topics that was covered allowed me to find the specific area that interests me and the courses taught me everything necessary to delve into research.  The friendly and personalized nature of the program ensures that every student has open access to the lecturers".

Dimitris Kolomvas - 2005/06

Is now working for Interamerican, Greece as a financial advisor.

Completing my MSc at CCFEA was a big advantage to qualify for my job. My role involves assisting clients regarding their financial decisions in order to achieve their personal goals.

Dimitris Tsouknidis - 2005/06

" The CCFEA 'experience' was memorable. After completing MSc Computational Finance I was ready to undertake a research degree, since I was fully equipped with the theory, the methodology and the tools to conduct research on any field of finance and economics. I decided to leave my country and join CCFEA since there is no such program offered in Greece. In terms of a cost/benefit analysis I think the MSc Computational Finance is the number one value for money program in UK. I think Professor Markose has carefully balanced a wonderful blend of scientific fields in the curriculum of this masters program. I wish I was back 22 years old and enrolling again".

Dimitris is continuing his studies with an MBA then PhD in credit risk at the Department of Accounting and Finance at Athens University of Economics and Business.

Prasenjeet Bhattacharya - 2005/06

Having obtained a distinction in MSc Computational Finance, Prasenjeet joined Morgan Stanley Securities Integration Group and is currently with ING Investment Management (India).

I am glad, I took Professor Markoses advice and enrolled myself at CCFEA.  Personally, I learnt a lot of new tools, which are extensively being used in the financial industry.  The blend of courses from different departments and its laboratory based training gives the student a better understanding about financial markets from a practical point of view.  Courses are no doubt rigorous with top class teaching and excellent projects. Moreover, students are exposed to a wide variety of models & tools with their application in the financial world, and this in particular is extremely important if you want to land up with a job.  From my personal experience, whatever was taught by our faculty helped me get a job within a few days of finishing my curriculum.  If you are willing to understand and tackle the subtle & real financial world, I believe CCFEA is the stepping stone.  It has been a brilliant experience as an overseas student to be a part of CCFEA.

Rishav Dev - 2004/05

Rishav has joined Lehman Brothers as a Team Analyst in their global strategy team.

"When I look back and think, I feel that doing my Masters in Computational Finance was one of my best decisions.  I thank you so much for your guidance and support throughout the one year programme." 

Yuan Yuan Sun - 2004/05

Yuan currently has an internship with Alders Consulting Ltd (CCA) following a distinction MSc degree.

"It was a very important period in my life - the studying of my Masters at CCFEA.  I not only obtained the academic knowledge more than that the experiences was important for my future.  I thank my Director Dr Markose for her help and support during my studies."

PhD students

Maggie Jun Qi, PhD Computational Finance, 2011

My original undergraduate subject was Financial Management, which is a pure finance field. As a postgraduate in CCFEA I had the fantastic opportunity to take the MSc in Computational Finance. Computational finance is a new cross-interdisciplinary field, which combines economics, finance, math and computer science. The courses are challenging, but beneficial. These courses will teach you how to implement computational tools in the financial world. After finishing my masters, I decide to continue my study at CCFEA as a PhD student. My research topic is Risk Management in High Frequency Finance. Now that I am working in a security company, the models and programming skills are very helpful in my career. The study experience of PHD in CCFEA is fantastic. Under the leadership of Professor Edward Tsang, the centre is very well organized and has gone from strength to strength. The faculty members are professional and helpful. I would like to thank my supervisor Dr. Wing Lon for guiding me and supporting me during the past four years. It has been a great academic and personal privilege to work with him. I am also extremely grateful to my second supervisor Dr. Richard Olsen for giving me valuable advice and inspirational comments in High Frequency Finance. I also owe my sincere gratitude to Dietmar Maringer, who advised me how to do research at PHD level. Furthermore, the administrative staff are very friendly and warm hearted, especially Lynda Triolo and Julie Pierson. When you need help, they will always be there. In all, I am so proud of being a student in CCFEA.

Bolanle Abudu, PhD Computational Finance, 2011

"Following the completion of my first degree in Actuarial Science and a postgraduate MSc in Business Administration, I had an inclination towards studying a PhD in Finance with elements of Engineering. For me, the decision to proceed on a PhD programme was a huge one and the prospect of doing it full-time was a bit daunting. This is primarily because I had a good career and position in Banking with over ten years post qualification experience in Financial Services. With hindsight, I am happy with my decision to study at CCFEA University of Essex, UK. I am pleasantly surprised at the dedication of both the academic and non-academic staff of the centre. Delivered in an interdisciplinary environment with strong City connection, CCFEA's PhD programme is fantastic and it is guided by an overarching goal of providing students with opportunity to acquire the broad range of tools and experiences needed to become a successful expert in finance. My supervisor Prof Sheri Markose was very supportive in getting me 'up to speed' at the initial stages of my study and ever since. Julie Pierson was particularly helpful too. Studying at CCFEA was a remarkable experience - the centre comes highly recommended."

Jian Jiang, Phd Computational Finance, 2011

"Having a background from electronic engineering, I was seeking a degree which provided a bridge between finance and computing. CCFEA, a unique centre with productive and high-quality researchers, offers financial courses from a practical perspective. During my study in CCFEA, I really enjoyed the open research environment. I especially wish to express my sincere thanks to my supervisor, Dr. Wing Lon Ng, for his professional supervision and support throughout my PhD study. Last but not least, the centres strong connection with the City helps students to deepen their understanding of the financial business. It was a great experience to study in CCFEA."

Evdoxia Pliota, PhD Computational Finance, 2009

"After obtaining my first degree in Physics at the University of Athens and my MSc in the Department of Economics at the University of Essex, I decided to continue my studies at CCFEA because it is an interdisciplinary centre that offers courses specifically designed for graduates from diverse fields of science who want to apply their skills in finance. The result is a dynamic environment suitable for students with different quantitative academic backgrounds. It provides an ideal setting and a stimulating environment for discussion and exchanging ideas. The staff was always very helpful and supportive and I enjoyed working with experienced people in my field of study. CCFEA is an exciting international environment for research, development and invaluable friendships!"

Rafael Velasco Fuentes, PhD Computational Finance, 2009

Being a newcomer to the world of finance I felt very lucky to have found the PhD Programme in Computational Finance at CCFEA.  While most graduate programmes in finance focus on teaching the foundations of what is now known as modern finance, there are very few places were students can come into direct contact with the newest developments in quantitative and computational finance and in CCFEA I found such a place.  Since coming here I have greatly improved my understanding of finance and my computational skills, which in turn have allowed me to analyse and consider some of the most challenging problems in finance today.  But what is life with all work and no play?  Although the whole programme has been very demanding I have still found time to meet new friends and undertake many new activities, which together with my academic progress have made my stay here a great experience for life.

Amadeo Alentorn (2003 - 2007)

Amadeo has completed his PhD in Computational Finance and is now the Deputy Head of Quant Research with Old Mutual Asset Management, following his internship with them during his studies at CCFEA. 

I chose to study my PhD at CCFEA because, being an interdisciplinary centre, I was able to apply my Computer Science skills to problems in Economics and Finance.  The degrees at CCFEA are very challenging due to their interdisciplinary nature, but this allows students to conduct cutting-edge research in new areas.  The staff are extremely supportive, and actively engaged in the research of the students.  Also, the connections of the Centre with the City provide a great opportunity for students to collaborate in projects with the industry.  I personally obtained valuable internships during my PhD at the Bank of England and Old Mutual.  The group of research students at CCFEA is very diverse and from all over the world, and hence is a great place to discuss, exchange ideas, and get support.

Vikentia Provizionatou (2002 - 2007)

Vikentia graduated from CCFEA with a PhD in Summer 2007.  She is currently working as a Quantitative Research Analyst for Franklin Templeton Investments in New York.  

"I would just like to thank you (CCFEA) for giving me the opportunity to complete a PhD that equipped me with the skills to enter the US job market during this unprecedented crisis!! The job market was tough to beat, but my CCFEA PhD did the trick!!" (July 2008)

Pre-sessional students - 2006

Darragh Donnelly

"The 2006 pre-sessional course was extremely valuable in re-acquainting myself with some previously rusty mathematical skills, giving very advantageous familiarity with some of the software used extensively in CCFEA modules as well a great chance to meet and get to know fellow course mates in a relaxed atmosphere."

Anil Khuman - current PhD student

"I found the pre-sessional course at CCFEA to be an excellent path to gaining a practical insight into the area of computational finance.  Not having a background in finance, it was very advantageous to have the opportunity to familiarise myself with key concepts in both finance and mathematics that underpin much of the course."

Kuan-Chun Chen

"The pre-sessional course was very informative and gave me a very good foundation to start my studies.  The teaching standards exceeded my expectations as I feel more confident in understanding subjects, such as financial modeling, programming and research techniques.  It has also opened a new chapter of my career and new friendships that I hope will last forever.  Also, I was made very welcome right from the start by all staff and class colleagues and I no longer feel too far from home."

Pre-sessional students - 2005

Dimitris Kolomvas - 2005/06

Dimitris is continuing his studies with an MBA at the Athens University of Economics and Business (AUEB)

"The pre-sessional course helped me a lot, not only for my masters degree, but to adjust to life in Essex as well"

Jose Antonio - 2005/06

"2005 pre-sessional course at CCFEA was an extremely useful learning experience.  Personally, I found an initial suitable link between financial quantitative methods and computational practices which triggered off my interest in elaborate topics during my subsequent studies."

Muhammad Ahmad - 2005/06

"The pre-sessional course was a well designed course tailored to suit the needs of new CCFEA students.  I really enjoyed the three week pre-sessional course last year."

Last modified: 16 December 2011