SAMBa provided a uniquely supportive yet challenging environment, in which one is encouraged to explore their interests and question their limits

Before joining SAMBa, I completed MMath at the University of St Andrews. My PhD was on “Competing Growth Processes with Applications to Networks” supervised by Dr Cécile Mailler and Professor Peter Mörters. 

In my final year, I did a 3-months placement with HSBC, in their spot FX electronic market making team, who subsequently offered me a fulltime job. I am now working for HSBC as a quantitative analyst. 

SAMBa made it possible for me to get a PhD in Mathematics, not only by funding my studies, but also by supporting me throughout and actively encouraging to pursue various opportunities which became available in the process.

The ITTs in particular, gave me first-hand experience in formulating industrial challenges as Mathematical problems, delivering the outcome in a clear manner to both technical and non-technical audiences. This skill undoubtedly helped me to do well in my placement. 

SAMBa provided a uniquely supportive yet challenging environment, in which one is encouraged to explore their interests and question their limits. The first year of the programme encourages students to gain a wide range of technical skills highly valued by industry, as well as fostering many other transferable skills, such as presentation, team-working and grant proposal writing skills, thus making it a relatively smooth transition for students after their PhDs regardless of whether they decide to stay in academia or go into industry (with anything in between).