Scholarship Winners

Dr. Xiongwei Ju Scholarship Award Winners

Dr. Xiongwei Ju graduated from the Gies College of Business in 1999 as a Doctor of Philosophy in Finance and is the founder of Parametrica Network.

The MS Financial Engineering Program is proud to award the following MSFE Class of 2024 students with the Dr. Xiongwei Ju Scholarship Award for excellence in learning and for their contributions to the MSFE Program:

Kamin Atsavasirilert

Yiqian Liu

Goldi Pangayom

Zeyuan Pan

Ruyan Jiang

Hongwei Zhang

Jiangda Wang

Hariharan Manickam

Yunze Liao

Honglin Qian

Ananya Singh

Illinois MSFE Academic Excellence Scholarship

All students enrolled in the MS Financial Engineering Program are eligible for the Illinois MSFE Academic Excellence Scholarship. This scholarship honors students who have achieved a 4.0 GPA after completing one year of study. The winner(s) will receive a monetary scholarship which is applied to their tuition during their final semester of study.

Class of 2025 Illinois MSFE Academic Excellence Scholarship Award Winners

Winner: Saurabh Jamadagni

Undergraduate Degree: Electronics and Communication Engineering

Undergraduate Institution: Indian Institute of Information Technology Pune

Why did you choose Illinois?

I chose Illinois MSFE because I was looking for a program that combined academic rigor with practical relevance, and it offered exactly that. UIUC's recognition as a Public Ivy added to its appeal, reflecting both prestige and quality. The campus offers a comfortable cost of living while being close to Chicago--one of the key hubs for quantitative finace. What stood out to me most was the blend of faculty with both academic and industry experience, which has allowed me to gain a holistic, deeply practical learning experience.

What was your favorite MSFE course and why?

One of my favorite courses was FIN 512 - Financial Derivatives, taught by Professor Martin Widdicks. He had a remarkable way of breaking down the Black-Scholes Theory into simple, digestible parts; making even the most complex concepts approachable. Watching the formulas come together at the end of each proof was genuinely enjoyable. What made the course especially impactful was its project-based structure. We worked on a valuation project that involved data collection, modeling and detailed report writing. While the process was challenging and initially overwhelming, it helped solidify the material in a practical and meaningful way. By the end of the course, reflecting on how much we had learned, step-by-step, was incredibly rewarding.

What is your career goal after leaving our program?

After completing the program, I am to pursue a career in quantitative trading/strategy as my primary focus. I'm also very interested in quantitative research and hope to contribute meaningfully by applying and refining the skills I've developed during the program to the best of my ability. Over the course of the program, I've grown a strong fascination for interpreting and working with data, and I'm excited to turn that curiosity into impactful insights and data-driven decisions in the industry.

Winner: Yixuan (Anna) Huo

Undergraduate Degree: Economics and Finance

Undergraduate Institution: Tsinghua University

Why did you choose Illinois?

I chose Illinois because of the MSFE Program's strong emphasis on practicality and technical skill development. The curriculum is closely tied to real-world financial applications, and the faculty bring deep industry insight into the classroom. The supportive environment created by both faculty and alumni, especially their commitment to student career growth, was another major factor in my decision.

What was your favorite MSFE course and why?

My favorite MSFE course was the Practicum. I spent the entire semester working on a project focused on pricing convertible bonds using numerical methods, machine learning and reinforcement learning. It gave me the opportunity to apply models on real-world data, which significantly improved my modeling skills. It also deepened my understanding of the gap that often exists between theoretical pricing and actual market prices.

What is your career goal after leaving our program?

After completing the MSFE Program, my goal is to work in the field of quantitative pricing and modeling.

Class of 2024 Illinois MSFE Academic Excellence Scholarship Award Winner

Kamin Atsavasirilert - Undergraduate College: Chulalongkorn University

Winner: Kamin Atsavasirilert

Undergraduate Degree: Mechanical Engineering

Undergraduate Institution: Chulalongkorn University

Why did you choose Illinois?

UIUC has a very good reputation in both engineering and business schools. There are many well-integrated courses taught by prestigious professors and practitioners, which cannot be easily found at other schools. One of the key strengths of being an MSFE student at UIUC is the Practicum, which allows students to work closely with professionals from many prestigious firms. Before joining this program, I wanted to work with professionals at JP Morgan Chase. Now, I have had that opportunity! I have learned a lot of practical and advanced techniques from my practicum project. Additionally, in terms of cost effectiveness, MSFE at UIUC is the best and the program quality is one of the best, as well!

What was your favorite MSFE course and why?

My favorite course from MSFE at UIUC is Financial Risk Management, taught by Professor Neil Pearson. The course is very comprehensive and quantitatively practical. It is not only about risk management techniques but also about the practical applications that have been collected by Professor Pearson from his personal experience and numerous, successful UIUC Alumni from different professional areas. With his excellent teaching techniques, I was able to understand each one deeply, even without a background in Finance and Risk Management. This course is actually a perfect opportunity to directly study from the author of many legendary books.

What is your career goal after leaving the MS Financial Engineering Program?

My career goal is to utilize my analytical and research skills as a quantitative analyst or researcher in derivative trading, hedging or pricing arena. I want to work in the United States, as it is one of the best places to learn about financial markets. I intend to collect advanced experience and contribute to improving my home country of Thailand when I become an expert in the field.

Class of 2023 Illinois MSFE Academic Excellence Scholarship Award Winner

Winner: Sipeng Li

Undergraduate Degree: Bachelor of Arts, Economics

Undergraduate Institution: Wuhan University

Why did you choose Illinois?

Close to Chicago.
The celebrated Grainger College of Engineering.
This program provides resources and opportunities from both Gies Business School and Grainger Engineering School, and many strong alumni are working in related industries, which will be helpful in job finding.
The cost of living is relatively lower.
UIUC is a world-famous public university with a very good reputation, and have cultivated a large number of outstanding alumni.
Prefer Illinois campus culture.

What was your favorite MSFE course and why?

I think many courses are great and helpful. As for me, my favorite course is the Practicum I did this semester, because it allowed me to apply what we have learned in class to real-world problems. I have benefited a lot from both the hard skills, like coding, data analysis, fast-learning, problem-solving ability, and soft skills, like teamwork, presenting work result and communicating, that I have accumulated during this practicum. Other courses like Statistical Methods in Finance, Financial Computing, Financial Risk Management, Financial Derivatives, are all very extremely good courses.

What is your career goal after leaving our program?

I’m still trying, exploring and looking for the career path that suits me well. I will always do as best as I can at every stage of my life.

Class of 2022 Illinois MSFE Academic Excellence Scholarship Award Winners

Yuhao Wang

Undergraduate Degree(s): Bachelor of Economics in Financial Engineering and Bachelor of Engineering in Structural Engineering

Undergrad Institution: Sichuan University, China

Why did you choose Illinois?

UIUC Has a good reputation for the outstanding Engineering and Business School rankings. The electives are diversified and the campus is beautiful. In addition, the university provides many out-of-classroom learning resources. The professors are well-learned and will respond to your questions almost immediately.

What was your favorite MSFE course and why?

IE 523 Financial Computing. This course not only improved my programming skills but, also helped me learn and review some important pricing methods. The programming assignments are interesting and are of practical use. This course is a great combination of programming, math and finance.

What is your career goal after leaving our program?

I would like to work as a quantitative risk analyst. I like dealing with data and helping with the technical side of work.

Poramej Torntham

Undergraduate Degree(s): Bachelor of Engineering in Information & Communication Engineering

Undergrad Institution:

Chulalongkorn University

Why did you choose Illinois?

I chose Illinois because of the well-integrated practical learning curriculum of the MSFE Program which allows students to choose their concentration based on their interest. I'm interested in the Automated Trading Practices (ATP) concentration since courses like High Frequency Trading are only available in this program and taught by an industry expert. The Practicum allows students to work in groups on a project with the US company, gaining valuable work experience while being supervised by professors and sponsors. I believe the program provides me with a combination of quantitative skills, financial knowledge, and computer programming comprehension, all of which are necessary for my future career goals.

What was your favorite MSFE course and why?

Algorithmic Trading Systems Design and Testing is my favorite course because it allows students to develop trading strategies from scratch, gather real-world data, build reasonable hypotheses, perform back testing, and evaluate each component of the strategies, as well as assess the over-fitting probability. To be honest, the course was difficult for me. The professor, however, not only had extensive experience in this area, but, he also dedicated a lot of time helping students in staying on track and providing guidance to overcome problems throughout the project.

What is your career goal after leaving our program?

After graduation, my short-term goal is to land a job in the quantitative fields in the United States where I can apply my technical skills and knowledge from the MSFE program to research, develop, and implement trading and allocation strategies in global assets. In addition, I would like to strengthen my connections through getting involved in the quantitative industry, helping others in resolving financial challenges and achieving their investment objectives.

Zhengshun (James) You

Undergraduate Degree(s): Bachelor of Science in Statistics

Undergraduate Institution: Tongji University

Why did you choose Illinois?

I chose UIUC because I know I can find great resources here that will benefit me in my future career. UIUC has one of the best Engineering School in the world, its Business School is also rank among the tops, and in MSFE, I could enjoy the resources in both schools. I could learn about both engineering and finance from the most experienced Professors and talk to those talented and ambitious students who share the same interest with me. And I could also benefit from the practicum project, in which I could have the chance to gain experience by getting hands on real-world project and build up meaningful relationship with industry partner. Look back from now, I’m glad that I made the right decision.

What was your favorite MSFE course and why?

Practicum is my favorite. I really learned and grew a lot from the project. Not just by applying what I’ve learned in solving real problems, but also through weekly communicating with our Sponsors and Professors to brain storming and present our findings. It’s not just a course, but a meaningful working experience. Besides practicum, my favorite course is Statistical Methods in Finance by Professor Feng. I love Statistics, and it’s always refreshing and enjoyable when I learn or review about the subject. And I believe it’s really very important for working in the field of quantitative finance.

What’s your career goal after leaving our program?

I plan to stay in the U.S. and working in quantitative finance as an Analyst or Researcher. Applying statistical models to solve real-world problems has always been intriguing to me. The U.S. market is mature and the firms are using a lot of quantitative techniques and algorithms for analysis as well as trading, so I believe there are many good opportunities for me. Hopefully I could become an active member in this industry and grow with it.

Binglian (Lucy) Luo

Undergraduate Degree: Bachelor’s in Financial Engineering

Undergraduate Institution: East China Normal University

Why did you choose Illinois?

The Master of Science in Financial Engineering at Illinois is an outstanding STEM program with strong faculties and a well-designed curriculum. It is particularly appealing to me because of the “Practicum” course, which is a project on real-world topics under the guidance of professionals from the financial industry. The strong desire to learn more advanced and professional analytical skills helped me make my decision to join MSFE @ UIUC.

My experiences at MSFE convinced me that I have made a great decision in joining UIUC. In the second semester, I did my practicum project under the guidance of JP Morgan Chase on the topic "Constructing Arbitrage-Free Implied Volatility Surface with Sinkhorn Algorithm". During the meetings with the industrial sponsors, we gained much deeper understanding about how the real market runs and how to analyze problems in a practical way. This experience plays a vital role in my professional development.

What was your favorite MSFE course and why?

My favorite MSFE course was IE 523 Financial Computing instructed by Professor Ramavarapu S Sreenivas. This course is under the Grainger College of Engineering. It covered many interesting and practical topics in financial engineering, including exotic option pricing and Monte Carlo simulation. More importantly, we learned how to solve financial problems from an engineering perspective, such as using Linear Programming to build bond immunization strategies and adopting optimization techniques like memorization to speed up computation.

What is your career goal after leaving our program?

My career goal upon completion of the MSFE program is to work as a quantitative analyst. Thanks to the MSFE program, I found a quantitative summer internship at Reinsurance Group of America. During the internship, I applied a lot of practical knowledge I have learned in my master's program, such as calibrating interest rate models and implementing quantitative analysis with programming. I would like to further my professional skills in this area, and I believe that the well-designed curriculum and the excellent career services from MSFE at UIUC can help me find my dream job successfully.