What are the responsibilities and job description for the Researcher position at Dimensional Fund Advisors?
The Research department at Dimensional is integral both in the successful day-to-day functioning of the firm and in developing Dimensional’s long-term strategy. The team produces high-quality, thought-leadership research on investments and financial markets that is of interest to clients. The team also leads the development of the firm’s investment approach and the application of that approach through portfolio management and trading.
Our team is seeking an experienced PhD Researcher in Austin, Texas to help deliver these key services. Researchers are expected to produce high-quality, academically grounded research to support and enhance our investment strategies, improve our understanding of financial markets, and for client education. Research findings are shared through white papers and presentations at Dimensional seminars and conferences.
Duties and Responsibilities:
- Conduct rigorous empirical research related to portfolio structure and implementation, run historical simulations, perform regression, attribution and characteristics analysis, conduct econometric tests to evaluate the impact of different portfolio construction and implementation approaches on expected performance, costs, and diversification of our investment strategies.
- Work closely with our investment and sales team to develop investment solutions that meet our clients’ needs, goals, and preferences in a reliable, cost effective, and transparent way.
- Share our research findings through white papers and presentations at Dimensional seminars and conferences.
- Participate in and contribute to internal research seminars.
- Discuss Dimensional’s investment philosophy, process, and strategies with clients and prospects.
- Review the latest advances in the academic work on asset pricing to support and enhance our investment strategies and for client education.
Qualifications:
- PhD in a discipline such as finance, economics, actuarial mathematics, statistics, engineering, computer science, or similar disciplines.
- 3-5 years of relevant industry experience and excellent knowledge in finance and accounting.
- Ideal candidates will have extensive experience doing empirical research with large datasets, a strong background in econometrics and statistics, and strong programming skills in one or more languages such as C, C , Python, Matlab, or Fortran.
- Excellent ability to communicate financial and economic concepts, in both oral and written form to a variety of different audience types.
- Researchers are responsible for independently completing research projects, from idea generation to paper publication or strategy implementation. Strong candidates will also have exceptional attention to detail, imagination, and creativity.
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