Market Research & Software Analyst (Unpaid)

SSI Labs | UNSW | Founding Cohort, T3 2026

9 positions available | Unpaid extracurricular opportunity | In-person at UNSW

SSI Labs (Student Systematic Investment Labs) is recruiting students to join our founding cohort for Term 3, 2026.

We are a student-led quantitative finance research group at UNSW, bringing together students with interests in financial markets, statistics, mathematics and software development to research, develop and test systematic trading strategies using real market data.

Members will work in small, collaborative teams to explore trading ideas, build backtesting systems, analyse results and critically review each other's research. Our focus is on developing practical skills through hands-on projects and a rigorous, evidence-based research process.

The initiative is supervised by a UNSW finance lecturer with 15 years of industry experience as a Head of Trading.

Available Streams

1. Markets & Quantitative Research (3 positions)

• Research financial markets and identify potential systematic trading opportunities.
• Develop market hypotheses and translate ideas into testable strategies.
• Analyse backtesting performance, market conditions and associated risks.
• Present research findings and contribute to peer reviews.

2. Statistics & Validation (2 positions)

• Assess the statistical reliability and robustness of trading strategies.
• Conduct out-of-sample testing and evaluate model performance.
• Investigate overfitting, changing market regimes and risk-adjusted returns.
• Collaborate with research teams to refine models and strengthen testing methods.

3. Software & Data Analytics (4 positions)

• Build and improve Python-based backtesting systems and research tools.
• Develop data pipelines for collecting and processing financial market data.
• Create analytical tools, visualisations and supporting research infrastructure.
• Work on debugging, testing and improving the reliability of software systems.

Who We're Looking For

Applications are open to current Univeristy students of any degree or year of study.

Students from finance, actuarial studies, mathematics, statistics, computer science, engineering, information systems and data science backgrounds are particularly encouraged to apply. However, students from all disciplines are welcome.

Previous experience in quantitative trading is not required. We're looking for students who are curious, motivated, analytical and willing to learn, contribute and collaborate with others.

Commitment & Eligibility

• 9 positions available across three streams
• Open exclusively to current University students
• Weekly in-person research meetings on campus at UNSW
• Approximately 8 to 10 hours per week, including independent and collaborative project work
• This is an unpaid extracurricular opportunity, not an employment position or paid internship
• All trading activities are conducted through simulated paper trading. SSI Labs operates as a non-profit, educational research initiative and does not manage real investment capital.

As a founding cohort member, you'll have the opportunity to work on practical quantitative research projects, collaborate with students from different disciplines and help shape the research standards, technical infrastructure and direction of SSI Labs as it develops.