Jodie

Junior Trader
Bachelor Science (Honours) & Advanced Mathematics

I honestly had so much fun learning from, and working with, other employees at Akuna. I also made friends with some amazing interns and juniors. I have never met a group of people who are so ambitious and competitive, yet so supportive of each other.

I grew up in Adelaide and was a very happy child, taking an interest in everything and anything. I was fortunate to attend Seymour College, where the all-girls environment inspired me to believe that I could do anything I wanted.

This supportive environment was crucial when I began to excel in mathematics. I have always loved the problem solving and logical thinking that mathematics provides, winning a prize in my first maths competition at age 9. From there, I competed in various mathematics competitions, excelled in my Year 12 studies and tutored and mentored other students to share this passion.

This led me to UNSW where I currently study Advanced Mathematics, majoring in Pure Mathematics. I completed a few internships in algorithms, data analytics and machine learning teams and am involved in a consulting society. Although I loved these experiences, I could not see myself in any of these careers, and felt a bit lost for what my next venture would be.

I moved to Sydney to be exposed to the multitude of career opportunities, however there was too much choice, and I did not know where to go next. I reconnected with a friend who is currently a trader at Akuna. He told me I would love trading and insisted I apply for Akuna. After a few months of deliberating (and almost missing the deadline to apply!), I finally got the courage to submit an application and haven’t looked back ever since!

Lumina

Junior Quantitative Developer
Bachelor of Science - Mathematics and Computer Science

Akuna is always looking for smart, driven problem solvers who are passionate in the work that Akuna does, so if you can show an interviewer that then you have a good shot.

What is your story?

I was originally born in Sri-Lanka then moved to England at the age of two where I lived until I moved to Western Australia. As a child I always loved problem solving and mathematics, so when I was introduced to competitive programming by my math teacher, I was instantly hooked by the type of problems it introduced. It was through competitive programming that I developed a passion for algorithmic problem solving, which I continued to pursue through the Australian Informatics Olympiad program. After graduating, I moved to Sydney to study computer science and mathematics at UNSW. I continued pursuing my passion for algorithmic problem solving by tutoring university data structures and algorithms courses and helping to run training sessions for a programming competition. Midway through second year, my friend, who was interning at Akuna told me to apply there. It was clear that Akuna would be the perfect fit for me due to its fast growth, small Sydney office and the interesting problems it presented. I made it through the interview process then interned as a Quantitative Development Intern in the summer of 2019-2020 and have been working with Akuna ever since as I finished off my studies.

Who could succeed in your role?

The main technical skills you need to succeed as a quantitative developer is a combination of mathematical and programming expertise, but most importantly you must be a strong problem solver. You do not necessarily need to have a computer science or mathematics degree evidenced by the fact that Akuna hires people from a wide range of degrees and backgrounds. You also do not need any finance knowledge before working at Akuna as everything related to trading and markets is taught on the job through facilities like our Options 101 course, the Akuna internal wiki and Akuna U’s. Working at Akuna means having to deal with difficult problems in a fast- paced environment which requires strong problem-solving skills as well as a passion to learn and ask questions. To succeed as a quantitative developer, you need to combine these skills with expertise in software development and statistical analysis in order to be able to leverage our proprietary systems and large datasets effectively.

Advice for Students

My main advice for anyone currently considering working at Akuna is to ensure that you thoroughly prepare for your technical interviews but also know why you want to work at Akuna. Akuna is always looking for smart, driven problem solvers who are passionate in the work that Akuna does, so if you can show an interviewer that then you have a good shot

Cressida Liu

Winter Trading Intern

7:00 am

Time to wake up! Sunrise isn't for another 40 minutes, but I hop out of bed to change into the running clothes I laid out the night before. I chuck on my joggers and head out for a 20-minute run to wake up (I'm trying to cut back on caffeine!). After I get back home there's just enough time for a quick shower, and I change into something comfortable before heading out the door at 7:45.

8:00 am

I hop on the train and use this time to go over a couple of the concepts we learnt yesterday, quizzing myself on gamma hedging but also occasionally enjoying the view from the carriage! I feel like listening to Taylor Swift today, so I also do a bit of that.

8:30 am

I get to the office a bit early today and head over to the kitchen to grab a banana, a bowl of oats, and a (cheeky) long black from our in-house barista! I munch on my breakfast while enjoying the waterfront views from the Akuna Cafe.

Akuna Cafe

9:00 am

All the interns have arrived, and it's time to get the day started! First on the agenda is a quiz to consolidate the information we learnt the day before, followed by the Trader's Morning meeting. During the meeting, we get to sit in with the whole team to discuss news and market events and how they affect the positions of the options books. We hear the traders talk about technical and systems issues which goes way over our heads.

Quiz

10:00 am

It's now time for a 1 hour lesson from our trader trainer. We learn more about the knowledge needed on the trading floor - this time, vega spreads - and we scribble away in our notebooks as our trainer explains the concepts on the board and peppers us with questions which we discuss in pairs. After the lecture ends, I make a trip (one of many throughout the day) to the kitchen for some fruit and kombucha!

Office

11:00 am

We're visited by one of the firm's quantitative crypto traders for a lesson on crypto futures. We learn more about some of financial products Akuna trades in the crypto space and then play a game in groups that puts our analytical and quick-thinking skills to the test!1:00pm Time for lunch! Today we're going to the highly recommended Tiny's Sandwich Bar on Clarence Street. It's only supposed to be a 7-minute walk from the office, but we take the long way round and enjoy the views along Barangaroo wharf! When we get there, we're greeted by the inviting smell of sandwiches and the promise of a full stomach.

2:00 pm

After coming back from lunch, we do a session of mock trading with some hints from the traders. Todays market: the spread between the number of Bunnings in NSW and Victoria. It's one of my favourite parts of the day and definitely a time you get to learn more about yourself and your fellow interns as you try to price option combinations on the fly and bid for information under the pressure of potentially losing (or making!) real money

3:00 pm

As part of the internship, we're also paired with a mentor who we meet with regularly. Today, we're shadowing them on the trading desk and learning more about what they do at their desks. My mentor, answers all my questions with a peachy keen attitude and is always happy to help out! She is always open to chat about anything.

Desk

4:00 pm

Our Trainer takes the time to give each of us personalised feedback, and also gives us an opportunity to give him any feedback we have. During this time, we can ask questions and discuss what we've done well and how we can improve our performance.

5:00 pm

It's the end of the day, but it wouldn't be Akuna if we didn't have a poker tournament every now and then! If it's not a weekly poker tournament organised by the poker club, it'll be a night doing rubiks cubing, rock climbing, running or wine club! ... and that's a day in my life as a Winter Trading Intern at Akuna.

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