Editor's Letter

Gold Book Honorees Are the Street's Future Stars

Long critical to the inner workings of Wall Street, quants have largely toiled behind the scenes. This year, the Advanced Trading Gold Book introduces a new class of quants – 18 exceptional individuals who will shape the future with their wide bases of knowledge and experience. Advanced Trading chose this year's 18 honorees—all students currently enrolled in a master's program in financial engineering – via the assistance of the directors of the schools' programs. These individuals are graduating soon and are preparing for a future career on Wall Street.

Mahesh Agarwal New York University Agarwal has worked for a consultancy and a broker-dealer. Aspiring to be a trader, he also wants to improve the lives of people in India. Aya Bellicha University of California at Berkeley Bellicha left her life in Israel behind to pursue an M.F.E. degree. "I can adjust to new situations quickly and deal with unfamiliar environments." Rajiv Bhutani University of California at Berkeley From India to California and soon off to Hong Kong to intern on UBS' equity derivatives desk, Bhutani would like to manage a hybrid book. Sandeep Bhutani University of California at Berkeley He holds 10 U.S. patents and an M.S., but the book "Fortune's Formula," by William Poundstone, led Bhutani to pursue a life as a quant. Matthieu Brunet University of California at Berkeley With experience working in financial services in Paris and London, Brunet aspires to design and structure new products. Peter Chromiak University of California at Berkeley Chromiak likes the vibe of the small, independent shops, and has experience in commodities through an internship with the New York Merc. Pierre Drogoul New York University Drogoul has interned for both Lehman and Barclays, but don't ask him how the cultures will mesh. He aspires to work as a quant on a sell-side trading desk. Marc Fernandes New York University An MIT grad interested in interweaving economics and finance, Fernandes interned at RBS Greenwich doing research on an interest rate trading desk. Cynthia Haidar Columbia University The recent crisis does not make Haidar doubt her plans; the trilingual computer engineer is confident that the market will go up again.

Guido Marandella University of California at Berkeley Italian physicist Marandella hopes to utilize his technical and mathematical skills in a trading desk's quantitative group at a large investment bank. Uri Miron New York University Miron pursued film writing after college, but missed the quantitative work he had done as an undergrad studying computer science. Priyanshu Mutreja University of California at Berkeley From New Delhi, Mutreja started trading on his own in India. Now -- at 19, the youngest M.F.E. student -- he is looking forward to a career in fixed income. Bart Rothwell Columbia University From professional poker player to quant, Rothwell made a living at the tables, but ultimately felt too many of his skills were being underutilized. Xiaoli "Shelly" Shi Rutgers University Armed with a Ph.D. in physics, Shi says Wall Street is "interesting, challenging and competitive, which fits my personality." Noah Taylor New York University After interning in Dublin for Susquehanna on the commodities desk, Taylor took the plunge into Ireland's frigid waters and learned how to surf. Rosalia Wong New York University As a student at United World College in her native Hong Kong, Wong was exposed to diverse cultures, and would love to work for a global firm. Qidong "Tony" Zhang Rutgers University An internship in Standard & Poor's quantitative group has given Zhang experience analyzing mortgage-backed securities. Margit Zwemer University of California at Berkeley Atlanta-raised Zwemer will soon begin an internship with Goldman's London office as a credit derivatives strategist -- a dream role, she says.