Hi, I’m Jessica Zhu.
A student at the intersection of quantitative finance, applied mathematics, and AI research. I focus on translating complex, real-world systems into formal models that can support better decisions. My interests sit between theory and application: building structured representations of messy reality, testing their limits, and understanding where formal logic succeeds—or fails—when applied to human systems. I’m passionate about leveraging quantitative tools to tackle interdisciplinary challenges.
Focus Areas
Academic Specializations
Quantitative Finance
Developing mathematical and computational frameworks that approximate real-world uncertainty with attention to assumptions, stability, and failure modes.
Approach: I focus on how uncertainty is encoded when reality deviates from pure theory.
Applied Mathematics
Studying how formal models inform decisions in finance, health, and organizational contexts, especially when incentives and information are imperfect.
Approach: I test how decisions shift under constraint changes and incomplete information.
AI Research
Exploring how artificial intelligence can facilitate statistical analysis and programming to extract structure from complex datasets and test theoretical ideas.
Approach: I use AI to automate each step of bringing a theory to life .
Current Work
Click highlighted items to access related projects or materials.
Last updated: December 2025-
Studying numerical methods for option pricing under non-ideal market conditions
-
Conducting research on emotional imagery perception
-
Building analytical pipelines for financial modeling and valuation
-
Reading on decision theory, uncertainty, and the philosophy of modeling
-
Seeking research opportunities and internships aligned with quantitative modeling and applied theory
Intellectual Identity
Alongside technical work, I care deeply about how humans assign meaning to structure. I write as an amateur, play the violin in orchestral and chamber settings, and spend time with philosophy and theology-especially questions about interpretation, ethics, and limits of formal reasoning. These interests shape how I approach technical problems: they sharpen my attention to assumptions, language, and what gets lost when reality is compressed into symbols.
Blog
My thoughts on various topics: investments, technological development, literature, and more.
No posts yet.
Contact
I welcome outreach related to research, internships, or academic collaboration.
Email: yzhu26@nd.edu