Berkeley MFE Blog

Caltech Ph.D. to Berkeley MFE to NYC: Meet Yiran

Written by Linda Kreitzman | Aug 09, 2016

Yiran Ma completed her Ph.D. in Geophysics with a minor in Computational Science and Engineering from Caltech in December of 2015. Her research focused primarily on imaging Earth’s interior structure using seismic recordings, which led to five first-authored papers published in top geophysical journals.

When Yiran signed up for an information session about the Berkeley MFE in February of 2015, she quickly realized that the program was exactly what she was looking for; she was ready to pursue a career in quantitative finance, and the MFE was going to help her accomplish that.

While Yiran has been in the program since last March only, she feels that she has already developed a solid understanding of finance and strengthened her data analytics and modelling skills. As part of the practical training required of the MFE students, Yiran will participate in a fall internship as a Desk Strategist at Morgan Stanley in New York. She is also currently working with a team of five other students on an industry project from Citigroup. She will complete her studies on March 17, 2017.

“The systematic training I have received in the Berkeley MFE Program has shaped my understanding of finance. With unparalleled faculty, classmates and one of the kind employment opportunities, I am confident that this year’s learning experience will have a long-lasting impact on my professional life.”

Meet more current Berkeley MFE students here.