Student Analyst Program
Research that becomes a trading strategy
Analysts at SOF build and test systematic strategies under Dr. Jonathan Brogaard. Strategies that hold up in review move on to trading.
Student competition · November 4–6, 2026
SOF Microcap Signal Competition
A hybrid case competition for student teams of 2–3, run on SOF Scholars. Registration is free and closes November 3.
Register your team →Role
Student Analyst
Focus
Systematic Strategies
Term
Multiple Semesters
Program
What students do
Analysts work in small teams on one strategy at a time. They find the idea, test it on historical data, defend it in review, and keep watching it once it trades.
Idea
An idea worth testing.
Research and Testing
Reviewed before it trades
Analysts build the strategy and test it on historical data. Someone outside the team then tries to break it. It moves on only if the evidence holds up.
Monitoring
Checked against the research
Once a strategy trades, analysts compare its results with what the backtest predicted and flag anything that doesn't match.
Reporting
Regular updates
Analysts write regular updates on how their strategies are performing.
Growth
How responsibility grows
Analysts take on more as they show they can handle it.
First Semester
Learn how the fund researches and tests strategies. Join an existing strategy team with support from returning analysts.
Returning Analyst
Own part of a strategy from research through testing. Present your work in review and help monitor strategies that trade.
Senior Analyst
Lead a strategy team, review other teams' work, and help train new analysts.
Who We Recruit
Depth over pedigree
We look for students who want to do quantitative research, wherever they study. Our analysts come from finance, math and data science backgrounds. The Student Analyst Program application page shows whether applications are open.
SOF is headquartered in Salt Lake City, and our analysts study at universities around the country. Research here happens in code and in writing, and every strategy is reviewed by someone who didn't build it, so where you study doesn't limit what you can do. We look for students who can take an idea, test it honestly, and drop it when the evidence says to.