A structured bridge between EPFL quantitative excellence and the financial industry

The Finance Association (TFA) is EPFL’s finance association. We bring together quantitative profiles from Mathematics, Physics, Data Science, Computer Science and Engineering, and operate a disciplined research pipeline designed to produce credible, reproducible results.

Explore partnership formats Discover the Quant Track

Association Structure

TFA is organized into four complementary poles, covering the entire value chain: from quantitative research production to communication, events, and the technical infrastructure required for reliable and reproducible analysis.

Quant Research / Hedge Fund Track

Core pole responsible for designing, developing and validating systematic quantitative strategies. Coordinates the research pipeline from hypothesis to formal presentation of results.

Events & Sponsorship

Organizes conferences, workshops and partner interactions. Manages partner relationships and sponsorship activations. Primary interface with external institutions.

Communication & Podcast

Produces editorial content, manages the podcast, and disseminates research outputs. Ensures TFA’s institutional visibility across academic and professional communities.

IT & Data Infrastructure

Builds and maintains technical infrastructure: data access, compute environments, backtesting tooling. Guarantees reliability and reproducibility of research workflows.

Quant Research Track

The Quant Research Track is the core activity of TFA. Teams work in small groups across full research cycles, producing a documented research paper reviewed internally before any external communication. Results are presented in a public showcase at the end of the cycle.

How we work

  • Small teams, full-cycle ownership: data, modeling, implementation, writing.
  • Each cycle results in a documented research paper aligned with professional standards.
  • Internal peer-review before any external presentation or publication.
  • End-of-cycle showcase with members, mentors, and (where relevant) industry professionals.

Fundamental philosophy

The objective of the Quant Research Track is not rapid trading or the maximisation of short-term returns.

The aim is to build a structured, reproducible and credible process — a framework in which every analytical decision is documented, every assumption is explicit, and every result is subject to critical scrutiny.

This prepares members for industry, where process quality consistently takes precedence over the appeal of isolated results.

See our research

Why Partner with TFA

A partnership with TFA provides structured access to EPFL’s quantitative talent pipeline and creates opportunities for thought leadership, recruiting, and applied research engagement.

Institutional visibility

Presence on the EPFL campus, an institution ranked among the top 10 technical universities in the world. Association of the partner brand with an internationally recognised environment of scientific excellence.

Access to quantitative profiles

Direct contact with students and young researchers trained in mathematics, physics, computer science and data science — the profiles most sought after by quantitative desks, risk management teams and research departments.

Thought leadership

Opportunities to speak at workshops, conferences and seminars organised by TFA. These formats allow partners to share their expertise, present their research challenges and reinforce their intellectual positioning before a qualified audience.

Recruiting formats

Access to recruitment-oriented interaction formats — career presentations, technical sessions, targeted networking — enabling the identification and engagement of the most relevant candidates ahead of traditional recruitment processes.

What we are currently looking for

Financial sponsorship

Support for events, professional analytical tools, and market data access to ensure high-quality infrastructure.

Mentors

Industry professionals willing to review research work per cycle and provide external methodological feedback.

Speakers

Experts to run technical workshops, thematic talks, and experience-sharing sessions.

Recruiting formats

Collaboration on structured recruiting activations (presentations, technical sessions, targeted networking).

Partnership Formats

TFA offers three partnership formats, designed to adapt to the objectives and resources of each partner institution. These formats are not mutually exclusive and can be combined or adapted according to identified needs.

Event Partner

Association with a specific event — conference, technical workshop or recruitment session. This format offers targeted visibility and direct interaction with TFA members at a dedicated event.

  • Visibility during the event
  • Direct interaction with participants
  • Associated communication

Annual Partner

Partnership over a full year, including a presence at several events, continuous institutional visibility and privileged access to the association's activities. This format enables lasting integration within the TFA ecosystem.

  • Multi-event presence
  • Year-round visibility
  • Priority access to talent

Quant Track Partner

Partnership specifically linked to the Quant Research Track — team mentoring, review of work, access to data or tools. This format is intended for institutions wishing to engage directly in the quantitative research process.

  • Involvement in the research pipeline
  • Mentoring and reviews
  • Access to research results

They Trusted Us

Several institutions have already collaborated with TFA in the context of events, technical sessions or recruitment formats. These collaborations demonstrate the association's ability to meet the expectations of recognised actors in the financial industry.

jump trading logo

Quant trading firm collaboration (details to be confirmed and completed).

Optiver logo

Optiver has participated in events organised by TFA, sharing its expertise in quantitative modelling and risk management with the association's members.

bcv logo

BCV collaborated with TFA in the context of an event organised at EPFL. Its CEO, Pascal Kiener, spoke at a conference attended by around a hundred participants.

Next Steps

We follow a simple three-step process to shape a partnership aligned with your objectives.

Initial discussion

Short call or meeting to understand your goals, identify relevant formats, and evaluate potential synergies.

Activation proposal

We draft a tailored activation proposal: selected formats, timeline, and collaboration modalities.

Structured partnership

Formal setup with a clear framework, points of contact, and regular collaboration follow-up.