The mathematical finance group includes probabilists and stochastic analysts working in problems directly motivated and/or applicable to finance and economics, or supervising PhD students working in those problems. From mathematical side, the members’ specialized research areas include stochastic differential equations (both forward and backward, both ordinary and partial), their related areas such as stochastic control and stochastic filtering, stochastic numerics, and statistics. From the finance/economics side, several research topics include, but are not limited to: option pricing and hedging theory; financial markets with frictions (including transaction cost, liquidity cost, credit risk, and model uncertainty); utility optimization theory with portfolio/consumption control, and contract theory.
The faculty members in the group are also responsible for teaching and advising graduate students at both Master and Ph.D. levels. The Master program of mathematical finance at USC College, a joint venture of Mathematics department and Economics department, prepares students a careers in the quantitative finance industry. Many members of the group have been responsible for teaching courses in the program, and advising Ph.D. students specializing in mathematical finance. The biweekly Mathematical Finance Colloquium brings in experts from both academia and financial industry, providing valuable contacts and opportunities for graduate students.
Regular Faculty
- Baxendale, Peter (emeritus): Stochastic dynamical systems; equilibrium, stability and bifurcation for solutions of stochastic differential equations; applications to stochastic neuronal models.
- Lototsky, Sergey: Stochastic partial differential equations, optimal nonlinear filtering of diffusion processes, statistical inference for continuous-time processes.
- Ma, Jin: Stochastic analysis, stochastic differential equations, stochastic control theory, mathematical finance and insurance.
- Mikulevicius, Remigijus (Remi): Stochastic differential equations, stochastic analysis.
- Minsker, Stanislav (Stas): Statistical learning theory, non-parametric statistics, concentration inequalities, mathematical finance.
- Zhang, Jianfeng: Stochastic analysis, backward stochastic differential equations, stochastic numerics, and mathematical finance.
Post Docs and Visitors
- Zhang, Zhaoyu (Michael): Stochastic Analysis, Stochastic Control/Games, Mathematical Finance and Insurance.
- Ararat, Cagin: Vector-valued and set-valued functions in financial mathematics, optimization and stochastics. Visiting Fulbright Scholar from Bilkent University (Turkey).
CURRENT GRADUATE STUDENTS:
- Atiqah Almuzaini (Ma)
- Thejani Gamage (Ma)
- Melih Iseri (Zhang)
- Bixing Qiao (Zhang)
- Ying Tan (Ma)
SEMINARS
RECENT GRADUATES, THEIR ADVISORS, AND DISSERTATIONS
- 2022
- Pollok, Austin (Zhang), High-Frequency Kelly Criterion and Fat-Tails: Gambling with an Edge
- 2021
- Feng, Pengbin (Ma/Zhang), Dynamic Network Models for Systemic Risk
- Luo, Man (Ma), Topics on Dynamic Limit Order Book and its Related Computation
- Wu, Wenqian (Ma), Topics on Set-Valued Backward Stochastic Differential Equations
- Zhu, Zimu (Zhang), Some Topics on Continuous Time Principal-Agent Problem
- 2020
- Phonsom, Chukiat (Mikulevicius), On Stochastic Integro-Differential Equations
- Ruan, Jie (Zhang), Numerical Methods for High-Dimensional Path-Dependent PDEs Driven by Stochastic Volterra Equations
- 2019
- Xu, Fanhui (Mikulevicius), On the parabolic Kolmogorov integro-differential equation and its applications
- 2018
- Kim, Hyun-Jung (Lototsky), Time-Homogeneous Parabolic Anderson Model
- Noh, Eunjung (Ma), Equilibrium Model of Limit Order Book and Optimal Execution Problem
- Sun, Rentao (Ma), Conditional Mean-Field Stochastic Differential Equations and Their Applications
- Wang, Jian (Lototsky), Statistical Inference For Second-Order Ordinary Differential Equation Driven by Additive Gaussian White Noise
- 2017
- Sun, Rentao (Ma), Conditional Mean-Field Stochastic Differential Equations and Their Application
- Wu, Cong (Zhang), Controlled McKean-Vlasov Equations and Related Topics
- Xing, Xiaojing (Ma), Optimal Investment and Dividend under Sparre Andersen Model
- 2016
- Kang, Yongjian (Lv/Zhang), Large-Scale Inference in Multiple Gaussian Graphical Models
- Karnam, Chandrasekhar (Ma/Zhang), Dynamic Approaches for some Time Inconsistent Problems
- Tsilifis, Panagiotis (Ghanem/Mikulevicius), Design, Adaptation and Variational Methods in Uncertainty Quantification
- Xie, Weisheng (Ma), Stochastic Differential Equations Driven by Fractional Brownian Motion and Poisson Point Processes
- 2015
- Keller, Christian (Zhang), Pathwise Stochastic Analysis and Related Topics
- Zhang, Tian (Ma), Optimal Investment and Reinsurance Problems and Related Non-Markovian FBSDEs With Constraints
- 2014
- Bessam, Diogo (Lototsky), Large Deviations Rates in a Gaussian Setting and Related Topics
- Ekren, Ibrahim (Zhang), Path-Dependent Partial Differential Equations and Related Topics
- Sokolov, Grigory (Tartakovsky/Lototsky), Multi-Population Optimal Change-Point Detection
- Zhuo, Jia (Zhang), Probabilistic Numerical Methods for Fully Nonlinear PDEs and Related Topics
- 2013
- Pham, Triet (Zhang), Zero-Sum Stochastic Differential Games in Weak Formulation and Related Norms for Semi-Martingales
- Wang, Huanhuan (Ma), Asset Management with Incomplete Information
- Wang, Xin (Ma), Nonlinear Expectations for Continuous Time Model with Jumps and Applications
- Xu, Li (Lototsky), Parameter Estimate for Hyperbolic SPDE’s with Stochastic Coefficients
- Zhong, Jie (Lototsky), Second Order in Time Stochastic Evolution Equation and Wiener Chaos Approach
- 2012
- Du, Jie (Zhang), Stochastic Games on Stopping Times
- Kaligotla, Sivaditya (Lototsky), Asymptotic Problems in Stochastic Partial Differential Equations: A Wiener Chaos Approach
- Lin, Ning (Lototsky), Estimation of Coefficients in Stochsatic Differential Equations
- Moers, Michael (Lototsky), Statistical Inference of Stochastic Differential Equations Driven by Gaussian Noise
- Xu, Shanshan (Lototsky/Wilcox), Initiative Non-Parametric Multivariate Regression Hypothesis Testing
- 2011
- Chen, Jianfu (Ma), Regime Switch Term Structure model with Forward-Backward Stochastic Differential Equations
- Wang, Xinyang (Ma/Zhang), Dynamic Model for Limit Order Books and Optimal Liquidation Problems
- Yun, Youngyun (Ma), Analysis of Correlated Defaults and Joint Default Probability in a Contagion Model
- 2010
- Liu, Wei (Lototsky), Statistical Inference for Stochastic Hyperbolic Equations
- Zhang, Changyong (Mikulevicius), Numerical Weak Approximation of Stochastic Differential Equations Driven by Levy Processes
- 2009
- Knape, Mathias (Mikulevicius/Zapatero), A General Equilibrium Model for Exchange Rates and Asset Prices in an Economy Subject to Jump-Diffusion Uncertainty
- Polunchenko, Aleksey (Mikulevicius/Tartakovsky), Quickest Change Detection with Applications to Distributed Multi-Sensor Systems
THE FIRST JOB OF SOME OF OUR RECENT GRADUATES
- 2022
- Austin Pollok: Assistant Professor of Clinical Data Science and Operations, USC
- 2021
- Pengbin Feng: Research Scientist at Amazon
- Man Luo: Quant Researcher at Guotai Junan Securities Asset Management (Shanghai, China)
- Wenqian Wu: Quant Trader at Guotai Junan Securities (Shanghai, China)
- Zimu Zhu: Postdoc at UCSB
- 2020
- Chukiat Phonsom: Alexandria Technology, Research and Investment
- Jie Ruan: Facebook
- 2019
- Xu, Fanhui: Postdoc, Carnegie Mellon University
- 2018
- Hyun-Jung Kim: Postdoc, Illinois Institute of Technology
- Eunjung Noh: Hills Assistant Professor, Rutgers University
- Rentao Sun: Data scientist, The Data Incubator
- 2017
- Cong Wu: Quantitative Associate at Wells Fargo
- Xiaojing Xing: Wells Fargo (Charlotte, NC)
- 2016
- Yongjian Kang: Google
- Chandrasekhar Karnam: Morgan Stanley
- Panagiotis Tsilifis: Postdoc in the Viterbi School of Engineering at USC
- Weisheng Xie: Wells Fargo (Charlotte, NC)
- 2015
- Christian Keller: Postdoc at University of Michigan
- Tian Zhang: Education Management Systems
- 2014
- Diogo Bessam: Postdoc at PUC-RJ/IMPA (Brasil)
- Ibrahim Ekren: Postdoc at ETH Zurich
- Grigory Sokolov: Postdoc at the SUNY Binghamton
- Jia Zhuo: Morgan Stanley
- 2013
- Triet Pham: Postdoc at Rutgers
- Huanhuan Wang: Capital One
- Xin Wang: Morgan Stanley
- Li Xu: Google
- Jie Zhong: Postdoc at Ritsumeikan University (Japan)
- 2012
- Jie Du: Guggenheim Partners
- Sivaditya Kaligotla: Bloomberg LP
- Ning Lin: Citigroup
- Michael Moers: Deutsche Bank
- 2011
- Jianfu Chen: Union Bank of California
- Xinyang Wang: Morgan Stanley
- Youngyun Yun: Union Bank of California
- 2010
- Wei Liu: American Express
- Changyong Zhang: Postdoc at Salzburg University
- 2009
- Mathias Knape: Goldman Sachs
- Aleksey Polunchenko: Postdoc at USC