The 'most decorated math Olympiad of all time' worked at Citadel
Want a job at a hedge fund? You'll have to be one of the best young talents in the world at math or engineering. Or, in the case of Zhuo Qun Song, the literal best. Song is regarded as the most decorated mathematics Olympiad of all time and, unsurprisingly, it's the world of finance that snapped him up.
For Song's internships, he opted for a rival buy-side firm, electronic traders Jane Street. It's known for having some of the highest paid interns in finance, and Song got in twice, working on the trading team in New York both times. Jane Street is a notoriously hard internship to acquire, especially with no prior internships.
After graduating, it was Citadel that picked him up, hiring Song as a quant researcher in Chicago, where he worked for two years. For those worried about having to compete with Song for a job, rest easy for the near future. He left Citadel in 2022 to complete a PhD in mathematics that should be done by 2028.
Have a confidential story, tip, or comment you’d like to share? Contact: +44 7537 182250 (SMS, Whatsapp or voicemail). Telegram: @SarahButcher. Click here to fill in our anonymous form, or email editortips@efinancialcareers.com. Signal also available.
Bear with us if you leave a comment at the bottom of this article: all our comments are moderated by human beings. Sometimes these humans might be asleep, or away from their desks, so it may take a while for your comment to appear. Eventually it will – unless it’s offensive or libelous (in which case it won’t.)
