The University of Chicago Data Science Institute (DSI) and Financial Mathematics Program are launching the new Quantitative Developer (QD) Certificate, combining training in advanced software engineering with financial expertise. Full-stack quantitative developers build and maintain the systems that power modern trading and risk management, requiring fluency in both high-performance computing and financial mathematics. The QD Certificate represents a new approach to preparing practitioners for these roles, bridging theoretical education and practical application.
The Data Science Institute and the Financial Mathematics Program have worked with an Industry Advisory Board composed of leading quantitative firms Chicago Trading Company (CTC), DRW , and global alternative investment firm Millennium to ensure the certificate’s curriculum effectively addresses skill gaps and trains students in the necessary theory and application required for a career path in quant development. All three firms have been members of the DSI's Industry Affiliate Program , which connects industry partners with UChicago's data science and AI research community through thought leadership, research, collaborative projects, and student engagement.
Board members are also contributing topics for certificate case studies based on challenges their firms face, helping to ensure students are prepared to succeed in leading firms. Their engagement provides industry expertise, which combined with UChicago’s analytical depth and curriculum expertise, results in a certificate designed for student success outside of the classroom.
“We’re excited to advise on this program and ensure the next generation of quant developers receives rigorous training rooted in real-world needs. It’s a critical growth space for many firms, and CTC is eager to be at the forefront of shaping how practitioners are prepared for the field,” said Yasser Rathore, Head of Delta One Execution Tech, Chicago Trading Company.
“In an era of AI coding tools, the bottleneck isn’t writing code—it’s understanding what to build and how it behaves in live markets,” said Jennifer Wilson, Partner, DRW. “The hardest problems in our industry sit at the intersection of mathematical modeling and production systems, and people who can navigate both are rare. We are pleased to support the efforts of this program to close that gap and enable top talent to contribute meaningfully much earlier.”
Students will gain experience building real-world systems, backtesting engines, production data pipelines, live trading integrations, and leveraging AI tools. The applied work will require them to solve problems they’ll face on the job and prepare them to succeed. The certificate program will be open to UChicago graduate students across various technical fields and engage students from diverse backgrounds to prepare the brightest and best minds to enter the field.
“We’re thrilled to be working with these leading firms in our Industry Advisory Board to create a curriculum informed by their priorities and the real-time evolution of the field,” said David Uminsky, Executive Director of the DSI.
“Students who qualify for this certificate will already have strong foundations. This program will let them add the skills that complete the full picture, so they graduate ready to contribute, not just learn on the job. We’re grateful to the advisory firms for the insight and real-world case studies that make this possible,” said Mark Hendricks, Director of the Financial Mathematics program.
“AI is changing how we work, and the need for domain expertise to help shape and evaluate outcomes has never been more important,” said Pranat Pathak, Millennium’s Global Head of Fixed Income, Commodities and Core Technology and International Chief Information Officer. “We’re excited to strengthen our engagement with promising students at the University of Chicago to help prepare them for a career in a fast-evolving industry.”
For more information, visit https://datascience.uchicago.edu/education/qd-certificate-program and sign up for the mailing list here .
About the Financial Mathematics Program
Founded in 1996, the University of Chicago's Master of Science in Financial Mathematics has had the honor of shaping some of the brightest minds in the financial industry today. A pioneer in its field, it offers accelerated, integrated coursework that explores the deep-rooted relationship that exists between theoretical and applied mathematics, statistics, and computer science and the ever-evolving world of finance. Its mission is to equip our students with a solid foundation in these topics, and in doing so provide them with practical knowledge that they can successfully apply to complicated financial models.
About the Data Science Institute
The Data Science Institute (DSI) executes the University of Chicago's bold vision of Data Science as a new discipline. The DSI seeds research on the interdisciplinary frontiers of this emerging field, forms partnerships with industry, government, and social impact organizations, and supports holistic data science and AI education.
About Chicago Trading Company
CTC is a leading options-focused trading and market making firm with more than three decades of experience. The firm combines deep market and volatility expertise with advanced technology, quantitative research, and human judgment to provide liquidity with conviction across complex markets. Built on tightly integrated trading, research, technology, and operations teams, CTC creates opportunities for talented people to take ownership of meaningful work and help shape the future of the firm. CTC’s culture emphasizes teamwork, candor, continuous improvement, and ethical judgment. To learn more, visit chicagotrading.com.
About DRW
DRW is a diversified trading firm with decades of experience bringing sophisticated technology and exceptional people together to operate in markets around the world. Headquartered in Chicago with offices around the globe, we trade a number of asset classes, including Fixed Income, ETFs, Equities, FX, Commodities and Energy. We also have leveraged our expertise and technology to expand into three non-traditional strategies: real estate, venture capital and cryptoassets. Learn more at drw.com.
About Millennium
Founded in 1989, Millennium is a global, diversified, alternative investment firm. With more than $92 billion assets under management as of 06/30/2026, Millennium has over 340 investment teams investing in strategies across industry sectors, asset classes and geographies. Technology is at the core of Millennium’s business, bringing together software engineers, quantitative modelers and data scientists to deliver a highly sophisticated technology platform that empowers the firm’s investment teams and enables scale across global markets.