2026 Shanghai Machine Learning PhD Internship

As a Machine Learning Modelling Engineer, you’ll harness your understanding of AI and deep learning to generate impactful insights and drive innovative new strategies that have the potential to transform global financial markets.

Your intellectual creativity won’t just be theoretical; you’ll get to turn your cutting-edge ideas into real-world solutions that contribute towards our trading success.

You’ll join a team of experienced engineers, who will provide you with guidance and support throughout the program, enabling you to make an impact from the early stages of your Optiver career.

By the end of the internship, you'll have deepened your understanding of the quantitative trading industry. Plus, if you've excelled over the summer, you'll receive an offer to return as Graduate Machine Learning Modelling Engineer.

WHO WE ARE:

Optiver is a global market maker founded in Amsterdam, with offices in London, Chicago, Austin, New York, Sydney, Shanghai, Hong Kong, Singapore, Taipei and Mumbai. Established in 1986, today we are a leading liquidity provider, with close to 2,000 employees in offices around the world, united in our commitment to improve the market through competitive pricing, execution and risk management. By providing liquidity on multiple exchanges across the world in various financial instruments we participate in the safeguarding of healthy and efficient markets. We provide liquidity to financial markets using our own capital, at our own risk, trading a wide range of products: listed derivatives, cash equities, ETFs, bonds and foreign currencies.

Since its establishment in 2012, our Shanghai office is a rapidly growing participant in the Chinese markets, trading exchange-listed futures, options and equities in China mainland. Our vision is to become the trusted partner in the development of Chinese financial markets. With the culture of a start-up but the backing of a 35+ year-old trading firm, the Optiver Shanghai office is truly unique. Everyone who joins us will help shape the future of our company and its global impact. Get ready: we are only just beginning.

WHAT YOU’LL DO:

During the internship, you will have the opportunity to:

• Leverage AI and deep learning technologies to thrive in a fast-paced, cutting-edge environment.
• Collaborate closely with researchers and traders on new experiments, capabilities, and data sources.
• Design and implement improvements to optimise researcher productivity and quality.
• Blend your own development expertise with the best open-source frameworks and tools.
• Utilize computing infrastructure to solve substantial challenges in computational and data scale.
• Drive experimental rigour through repeatable processes on assured data.

WHAT YOU'LL GET: 

You’ll join a culture of collaboration and excellence, where you’ll be surrounded by curious thinkers and creative problem solvers. Driven by a passion for continuous improvement, you’ll thrive in a supportive, high-performing environment alongside talented colleagues, working collectively to tackle the most complex problems in the financial markets.

In addition, you’ll receive:

• A highly competitive remuneration package.
• Optiver-covered flights and accommodation for the duration of the internship.
• The opportunity to work alongside best-in-class professionals.
• Training, mentorship and personal development opportunities.
• Gym membership, plus weekly in-house chair massages.
• Daily breakfast, lunch and in-house barista.
• Regular social events.

WHO YOU ARE:

• PhD students who are graduating in or after 2027.
• Studying a degree in Computer Science, Mathematics, Statistics, or a related field, with a strong focus on machine learning or deep learning.
• You’ll have an advanced understanding of neural networks and related machine learning technologies, with experience in implementing and training complex deep learning models.
• Proven experience with deep learning frameworks such as TensorFlow, PyTorch, Keras, etc.
• Deep understanding of the principles, theories, and concepts underlying machine learning and deep learning technologies, including the design and implementation of neural networks.
• Strong programming skills in Python, familiar with data engineering tools and principles.
• Experience with GPUs and other hardware accelerators for deep learning.
• Excellent problem-solving skills, and the ability to work independently and in teams.
• Outstanding communication skills.

HOW TO APPLY

If you’re interested in taking your career to the next level and work on one of the most exciting trading floors in China mainland, apply now via the form below. 

While we love how bilingual our teams are, be sure to submit the below application materials in English:

• Resume
• Cover letter (optional)

For any other inquiries, please email chinacareers@optiver.com.au.

DIVERSITY STATEMENT

Optiver is committed to diversity and inclusion, and it is hardwired through every stage of our hiring process. We encourage applications from candidates from any and all backgrounds, and we welcome requests for reasonable adjustments during the process to ensure that you can best demonstrate your abilities.

Questions? Check out our internship and graduate FAQs or get in touch with the team at careers@optiver.com.au.

 PRIVACY DISCLAIMER

Optiver 重视个人信息的保护。请您在提供个人信息给我们之前，认真阅读Optiver China Privacy Notice, 了解我们如何收集及处理您的个人信息。

Personal information protection is of utmost importance to Optiver. Before you provide any personal information to us, we strongly urge you to read our Privacy Policy to acknowledge how we collect and process your personal information.