Alumni
Become a Lifetime Member of the MQE Community
When you enroll in the MQE program, you’re not just a student for 1-2 years. As alumni, you’ll always have a bridge back to UCLA and the benefits that go hand in hand with that partnership.
Alumni Spotlight
“Choosing MQE was a defining moment in my professional journey. Its innovative curriculum, bridging economic theory with advanced data science, provided me with a systematic framework for solving complex financial challenges. This unique skill set allowed me to differentiate myself as a high-value asset, even during periods of industry volatility. The analytical rigor I honed has been instrumental in my successful career progression at J.P. Morgan Chase & Co. I am confident that the quantitative foundation built during my time at UCLA will continue to be a cornerstone of my professional growth within the global financial sector.”
Kian Tehranian MQE ’22
Fixed Income Portfolio Manager, Vice President
J.P. Morgan Asset Management
Hear From Our Alumni
MQE alumni are making an impact across industries and around the world. Read about their experiences in the MQE program and beyond.
MQE is a STEM program that allows students to find jobs or internships after we graduate. The program is designed to help students learn the most cutting-edge skills and knowledge of a combination of economics and data analytic. What’s more, our classmates all have different backgrounds, future goals, and dream companies or industries. Having the opportunity to communicate with great professors and ambitious top students is precious and exciting.
Shuoxin Lyu '22 - Associate, Strategy& at PwC (Shanghai, China)
UCLA is where you can enjoy intensive knowledge in lecture rooms and outdoor activities. Life is much more than learning theory, and here we can guide you towards the career path you dream of.
Tanya Vattanakum '22 - Compliance, Office of Insurance Commission (Bangkok, Thailand)
The rigorous coursework, the invaluable guidance of my professors, the professional mentors who broadened my perspective, the friendships I forged along the way, and the vibrant campus life that made UCLA feel like home. I am most excited about the opportunities ahead in quantitative finance, diving deeper into cutting-edge methodologies and continuing to extract meaningful insights from data in a field that is constantly evolving.
Praharsh Mehrotra '25 - Quantitative Specialist, Surlamer Investments (Los Angeles, CA)
MQE was never just a master’s program. It was the reason I left my home and moved to a different country for the very first time. The people at MQE—the faculty, staff, and my peers—made it all possible. I am deeply grateful for the unwavering faith and kindness everyone showed me. Through the MQE program, I secured my summer internship, on-campus jobs, admission into a PhD program, and my new role at Equity Methods.
Anushree Saxena '26 - Financial Reporting Associate, Equity Methods (Phoenix, AZ)
I chose the MQE program because of the ability to do different concentrations, specifically the concentration in finance. Also the MQE focuses on the real-world applications of economics and econometrics and carries the prestige of a UCLA degree.
Antonino Delrossa '22 - Executive Officer, United States Air Force (Dayton, OH)
The meaningful interactions with professors, my experience as an MQE Fellow, and my time serving as an MQE Ambassador, along with the projects I built alongside friends in the program. I’m excited to begin this next chapter in San Diego and explore everything the city has to offer.
Dishant Vaishnav '26 - Junior Analyst (Portfolio Management), StepStone Group (San Diego, CA)
MQE was uniquely positioned to help me pivot from management consulting into a more technical, data-driven career. It strengthened my consulting background with data science skills, which now empower me to apply an economic perspective—decision-making, causality, and actionable insights—when developing technology and data strategy at an investment management firm. The continuously evolving curriculum stays up to date with current tools, including cloud automation and AI agents, while providing a strong academic foundation.
Alper Karakas '24 - Business Analyst, Arixa Capital (Los Angeles, CA)
Our program has a very diverse cohort, a very supportive team of professors and industry professionals, and plenty of opportunities to work with real-world data!
Aneri Patel '22 - Senior Research Analyst, The Brattle Group (San Francisco, CA)
I’ll miss everything about the MQE program — the supportive faculty, the incredibly knowledgeable professors, and a curriculum that was both rigorous and flexible. The program gave me a strong foundation that I believe can translate across many industries, but most importantly, it gave me friendships that I’ll truly value for years to come. I decided to join the Management Trainee program at China Merchants Bank, where I’m working toward becoming a trader in the Financial Markets Department. What excites me most is the uncertainty of the future itself.
Churongze (Charles) Wang '26 - Management Trainee, China Merchants Bank (Shanghai, China)
I highly recommend the MQE program to people who aim to become data-savvy leaders in the future. This flexible program not only cultivates your data fluency with analytical knowledge and coding skills, it also offers you an amazing opportunity to work with company partners and solve their problems through data analysis.
Yiheng An '22 - Ph.D. Candidate, University of Florida Warrington College of Business (Gainesville, FL)
My MQE journey was instrumental in my growth from an undergrad in business management economics to an impactful technical professional. Classes like econometrics, machine learning, SQL, time series forecasting, and cloud computing filled in the gaps that I needed to enable me to begin my career in data science and analytics. The career guidance I received, paired with these in class learnings, led to my roles as a data intern at Surfline, and as an Associate Product Analyst at Prize Picks immediately following graduation. My journey began with and would not have been possible without the lessons I learned in the MQE Program.
Gavin Faridi '24 - Product Analyst, Triumph (San Francisco, CA)
MQE Global Ambassadors
The MQE Global Ambassadors’ Network is comprised of select MQE students and alumni who advise the department on global outreach and prospective student engagement. The Global Ambassadors Network plays an important role in expanding and strengthening our international reach and advising the program on new and emerging needs. Learn more.
Anita, ’20 MAE
Economist, Bank Indonesia
Anita is an Economics at Central Bank of Indonesia. She is an engineer turn to an economist, with the current job related to assessment and research about household’s vulnerability as part of maintaining the financial system stability.
Mariano Gutierrez, ’22 MQE
Analyst, Banco de Guatemala
Economics PhD, University of Leicester
Mariano is a former engineer who now works as a research economist in Guatemala’s Central Bank as well as pursuing a PhD at the University of Leicester. Member of the economic research department, currently working with DSGE semi structural models, time series models and economic research on Monetary Policy topics.
Emin Keteci, ’22 MQE
Senior Inspector, Central Bank of the Republic of Turkey
Emin is a senior inspector in the Central Bank of the Republic of Turkey (CBRT) working in accordance with audit ethics. He conducts external audits in commercial banks, payment and e-money institutions of Turkey regarding compliance to regulations, and perform risk-based financial/operational internal audits, assessing the adequacy and effectiveness of controls.
Marco Martinez Huerta, ’21 MQE
Economist, Banco de Mexico
Marco is Economist with 7 years of central banking experience. He works at the Research Department of the Central Bank of Mexico on topics related to monetary policy.
Amina Sherif, ’22 MQE
Assistant Manager, Deloitte
Amina was a quantitative risk analyst at the Central Bank of Egypt. She recently started a new role with Deloitte. She is a CFA charterholder. She holds a BS in actuarial science from the American University in Cairo.
Chayanit Somsuk, ’18 MAE
Transport Technical Officer, Ministry of Transport, Thailand
Tanya Vattanakum, ’22 MQE
Office of Insurance Commission, Thailand
Once a private banking strategist, then got a chance to be a quantitative economics student at UCLA. Now, I am working on how to apply all my extraordinary experiences to the development of insurance in Thailand.
MQE LinkedIn Group
Our active LinkedIn Group connects incoming students, current students, and alumni for job leads, career advice and personal connections.
Get Involved
MQE alumni play an important role in the success of the MQE program. Learn more about how you can get involved.
Share your Experience
- Alumni Spotlight/ Testimonial
- Participate in an Informational Interview
- Provide Resume Reviews or Mock Interviews
Share your Expertise
- Host a Career Accelerator Program Session
- Serve as a Workshop Speaker or Panelist
- Lead a Technical or Case Interview Prep Session
Support Career Pathways
- Hiring & Referrals
- Mentor a Current Student
- Applied Project Corporate Partner
- Applied Project Coach
Partner with MQE
- Be a Regional Ambassador
- Represent the program at events
- Share the program with your network
Help Shape Future Events
We’re actively building new alumni events and want to hear from you! Share the topics you’d be most interested in exploring—whether through panels, guest speakers, networking sessions, or skill-building workshops.
Your input will help shape the content and programming that matters most to our alumni community.