Troy, N.Y. — Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) Lally School of Management Associate Professor of Quantitative Finance and Risk Management Aparna Gupta has been invited, following a rigorous selection process, to join the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission in its Division of Economic and Risk Analysis (DERA) as a visiting researcher. The SEC DERA serves as the think tank of the commission, integrating financial economics and rigorous data analytics into its core mission.

During her time at the SEC, Gupta will work on several projects, contributing to or leading the efforts of the Office of Research and Data Services’ Analytics group. She will work on developing a multi-layer network architecture for risk dependencies of different assets and market players that determine the market quality and trading activity for specific asset classes. Gupta will also contribute to enhancing text analytics based risk metrics developed based on various filings to the SEC.

“The SEC Division of Economic and Risk Analysis has a vibrant work environment, with researchers and visitors from different disciplines contributing to the division’s objectives,” says Gupta. “It is an honor to be a part of work that supports the due diligence behind the examination and enforcement roles of the commission.”

Gupta has developed and taught courses in financial engineering and quantitative methods in finance at the undergraduate and the graduate level at Rensselaer for more than 15 years. She also teaches courses in quantitative finance in the Lally School’s international initiatives, specifically with industry and academic partners in China, Singapore, and India.

“Studying quantitative methodologies and new developments in the quantitative disciplines, and how they can be applied to address global challenges in finance and risk management, has become more important than ever, given the large amounts of data and complexity of financial systems today,” says Gupta. “At Rensselaer, we prepare our students to think critically and gain the quantitative skills necessary to thrive in these areas.”

A National Science Foundation New Century Scholar (2002), Gupta, in her research, addresses issues in risk assessment and management for different financial institutions and for different market participants. Her most recent work is devoted to developing network representations of interconnectedness of financial institutions and asset prices, to determine the impact of spill-over risks and contagion. At the institutional level, Gupta also has been interested in developing enterprise risk management strategies and analyzing incentives for risk management.

Gupta conducts National Science Foundation (NSF)-funded research in financial innovation for risk management in technology-enabled, network-based services in Internet, wireless communication, and energy systems. Her most recent NSF grant is for developing text analytics based risk metrics for financial services firms. Gupta is the author of a book on Risk Management and Simulation, and her work has been published in leading quantitative finance, operations research, and technology-oriented publications. She is a member of the International Association of Quantitative Finance (IAQF), the American Finance Association (AFA), and the Institute for Operations Research and Management Science (INFORMS).

Extraordinary research and teaching by Rensselaer faculty, such as Aparna Gupta, exemplify The New Polytechnic, an emerging paradigm for teaching, learning, and research at Rensselaer. The New Polytechnic emphasizes and supports collaboration across disciplines, sectors, and regions to address the great global challenges of our day, using the most advanced tools and technologies, many of which are developed at Rensselaer. Research at Rensselaer addresses some of the world’s most pressing technological challenges—from energy security and sustainable development to biotechnology and human health. The New Polytechnic is transformative in the global impact of research, in its innovative pedagogy, and in the lives of students at Rensselaer.

For more about the Lally School of Management, visit http://lallyschool.rpi.edu/.

About Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute

Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, founded in 1824, is America’s first technological research university. For nearly 200 years, Rensselaer has been defining the scientific and technological advances of our world. Rensselaer faculty and alumni represent 85 members of the National Academy of Engineering, 17 members of the National Academy of Sciences, 25 members of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, 8 members of the National Academy of Medicine, 8 members of the National Academy of Inventors, and 5 members of the National Inventors Hall of Fame, as well as 6 National Medal of Technology winners, 5 National Medal of Science winners, and a Nobel Prize winner in Physics. With 7,000 students and nearly 100,000 living alumni, Rensselaer is addressing the global challenges facing the 21st century—to change lives, to advance society, and to change the world. To learn more, go to www.rpi.edu.

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