Principal AI Research Scientist - Systematic Trading
Company: Met Capital Ltd
Location: Zürich, Switzerland
Job Type: Full-time
Salary: £750,000 - £2,000,000+ annually (base + performance bonus + profit participation)
About the Role
Met Capital is seeking an exceptional AI researcher to lead development of next-generation systematic trading systems. You will design and deploy cutting-edge machine learning models that operate in live financial markets—one of the most challenging testbeds for artificial intelligence.
This role combines deep research with real-world impact. Your models won't just beat benchmarks—they'll generate returns.
What You'll Do
Research & Development
- Design novel deep learning architectures for financial time series and multimodal data
- Develop reinforcement learning systems that adapt to market regime changes in real-time
- Build causal inference frameworks that identify exploitable market inefficiencies
- Integrate alternative data sources (satellite imagery, NLP, sentiment analysis) through neural architectures
Production Deployment
- Transform research prototypes into live trading systems
- Implement rigorous backtesting with adversarial validation to prevent overfitting
- Monitor model performance and diagnose degradation
- Collaborate on distributed training and low-latency inference infrastructure
Scientific Contribution
- Publish research at top ML conferences (NeurIPS, ICML, ICLR)
- Engage with academic community while maintaining proprietary edge
- Mentor junior researchers and shape the firm's research direction
Requirements
Required Qualifications
- PhD in Machine Learning, Computer Science, Statistics, Physics, or related quantitative field
- Deep expertise in modern deep learning (transformers, graph neural networks, attention mechanisms)
- Strong publication record at top-tier ML venues
- Expert-level Python; proficiency with PyTorch or JAX
- Track record of taking research from conception to production deployment
Highly Valued
- Experience with reinforcement learning, online learning, or causal inference
- Background in time series analysis, signal processing, or stochastic processes
- Previous quantitative finance experience (not required)
- Contributions to open-source ML frameworks
- Strong mathematical foundations in optimization, probability theory, and information theory
Why Met Capital
Modern AI Stack
Work with transformers, neural ODEs, diffusion models, and cutting-edge architectures—not legacy statistical methods from the 1980s.
Research Freedom
We encourage publication and open-source contribution. Your work advances AI as a field, not just our returns. No enforced secrecy.
Academic Collaboration
Direct ties to University of Zürich and ETH Zürich research communities. Regular seminars with leading academics. Support for conference attendance.
Zürich Location
Global finance and technology hub with exceptional quality of life. Central European location. Competitive compensation with favorable tax treatment.
Direct Impact
See your models trade live. Sufficient capital to make your research meaningful. Shape firm direction from day one.
Compensation
We believe exceptional researchers deserve exceptional compensation:
- Base salary: £250,000 - £400,000
- Annual bonus: 100-300% of base (performance-linked)
- Profit participation: Direct share in fund performance
- Research budget: Conference attendance, computing resources, publication support
- Total compensation: £750,000 - £2,000,000+ depending on experience and fund performance
About Met Capital
Met Capital Ltd is a UK-based investment management firm building systematic trading strategies powered by artificial intelligence. We combine rigorous academic research with practical deployment, operating at the intersection of machine learning and quantitative finance.
Our research philosophy: advance AI through financial applications, not just apply existing methods to markets.
How to Apply
Submit your CV, a brief description of your most impactful research, and links to representative publications.
We review all applications and respond within two weeks.
Met Capital Ltd is an equal opportunity employer.
Job Type: 100%
Pay: From CHF250’000.00 per year
Work Location: Hybrid remote in 8002 Zürich, ZH