The Role
The Sustainable and Green Finance Institute (SGFIN) at the National University of Singapore (NUS) is a new university-level research institute, jointly supported by the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) and NUS. SGFIN aims to develop deep research capabilities in sustainable and green finance, provide thought leadership, and shape sustainability outcomes across the financial sector and economy.
This role is ideal for individuals interested in academic or industry research in quantitative analysis, specifically in machine learning and artificial intelligence. The successful candidate will be responsible for designing and developing various analytical frameworks to analyze structured, unstructured, and non-traditional data related to corporate financial, environmental, and social indicators. There are no teaching obligations for this position, offering the opportunity to develop a research portfolio.
Duties and Responsibilities
- Design research projects in close collaboration with the Institute’s Directors (Prof. Sumit Agarwal / A.Prof Johan Sulaeman / A.Prof Zhang Weina) and Research Affiliates.
- Take ownership and responsibility for the successful delivery of research projects, ensuring completion within deadlines, allocated budgets, and meeting/exceeding project specifications and targets.
- Participate in pre-project activities, including identifying required resources (staffing, organizational needs) and preparing high-level project plans with timelines and resource requirements.
- Develop data analysis frameworks.
- Plan, supervise, and perform (if necessary) the development of supervised and unsupervised machine learning tools to process information from various data sources, including commercial databases and alternative, non-traditional datasets.
- Plan, supervise, and perform (if necessary) the generation of impact measures using machine learning, in collaboration with the Institute’s Directors and other Research Fellows.
- Monitor progress of research projects and provide necessary interventions to ensure smooth completion.
- Manage and coordinate project deliverables, ensuring their quality.
- Manage industry partners’ expectations by understanding their needs and providing realistic expectations and scope for each project.
- Manage collaborations with research and industry stakeholders, including providing periodic progress updates and deliverables for grant funding bodies or project sponsors.
- Prepare results for industry communications, presentations, and academic articles for journal publications.
- Guide, mentor, and supervise research associates on the project team.
- Work closely with the rest of the SGFIN team to support SGFIN’s activities and objectives.
Requirements
- Academic background in computing, information systems, economics, business, finance, or related disciplines is preferred. A bachelor’s degree is required, a master’s degree in one of these subjects is preferred, with a PhD degree required for the Research Fellow position.
- Basic understanding of the financial sector (banks and other financial institutions), financial markets, corporate financial statements, and credit risk analysis is preferred.
- A thorough knowledge of the research field of machine learning and artificial intelligence is highly preferred.
- Programming skills, including knowledge of machine learning and artificial intelligence processes and tools, are highly desired, along with experience in conducting and supporting research and data analysis of research projects.
- Database management experience is desired.
- Proactive in problem solving.
- Good time management and planning skills with a commitment to delivery.
- Strong project management skills, with the ability to manage several projects concurrently.
- Strong delivery management experience, with proven track records in managing and steering projects towards smooth execution and on-time delivery.
- Adaptive to change with a positive work attitude.
- Enthusiastic team player who is self-driven, committed, and willing to take initiative.
- Strong interpersonal and leadership skills, effective in coordinating stakeholders, fostering teamwork, and leading high-performance project teams.
- Strong verbal, written, and interpersonal communication skills.