Friday, May 27, 2016

Theory, Money, and Learning


After 25+ years in theoretical physics research, the pattern has become familiar to me. Talented postdoc has difficulty finding a permanent position (professorship), and ends up leaving the field for finance or Silicon Valley. The final phase of the physics career entails study of entirely new subjects, such as finance theory or machine learning, and developing new skills, such as coding.

My most recent postdoc interviewed with big hedge funds in Manhattan and also in the bay area. He has accepted a position in AI -- working on Deep Learning -- at the Silicon Valley research lab of a large technology company. His compensation is good (significantly higher than most full professors!) and future prospects in this area of research are exciting. With some luck, great things are possible.

He returned the books in the picture last week.

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