Naftali Cohen ,

Ph.D.

I am a Ph.D. in Applied Mathematics, receiving my degree in 2013 from the Courant Institute of New York University (NYU). My dissertation focused on the interaction of atmospheric waves in the climatological system, aiming to improve weather forecasting and enhance climate change simulations. Before attending NYU, I earned my M.Sc. and B.Sc. in Atmospheric Sciences and Chemistry from the Hebrew University in Israel. My M.Sc. dissertation examined the effect of atmospheric dust on lightning formation in landfalling hurricanes.

After completing my Ph.D., I joined Yale University as a researcher, using data mining methods and a hierarchy of numerical models to assess and track high-impact storms and other atmospheric perturbations in the climatological system. I later moved to the Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory of Columbia University, where I studied the influence of uncertainty in the climatological system in response to climate change.

I then joined J.P. Morgan as a Vice President of AI Research, leading a team of ML and AI researchers in applying machine learning and AI strategies to reimagine the financial industry. I have published work on financial trading, decision-making, computer vision, and other topics. Currently, I work as a Senior Data Scientist at Schonfeld Strategic Advisors. I use my expertise to build statistically robust and systemic systems for using alternative data in financial trading.

I have an extensive academic background and publication list, and hold several patents. Throughout my career, I have worked on various data sets and projects, building and managing teams of engineers and leading data initiatives across financial corporations, hedge funds, and universities. I excel at working closely with both technical and non-technical stakeholders to develop and implement successful data strategies.

In addition to my professional experience, I hold an adjunct professorship position at the NYU Tandon School of Engineering and the IEOR Department of Columbia University, where I teach operations research, optimization, and quantitative finance courses. My research interests include machine learning, artificial intelligence, quantitative finance, and climate science.