Greeting! It's Nankun. I'm currently pursuing a Master’s degree in Computer Information Systems at City University of New York, Baruch College, and I am set to graduate this May. I am actively seeking opportunities in the tech industry and am open to relocation.
With a background in finance and four years of industry experience, I am now eager to transition into the technology sector—not only because of my deep passion for it but also because I believe technology has the power to shape the future and drive human progress. While I may not aspire to change the world on a grand scale, I hope to use my skills to make life better. If my work can contribute to meaningful innovation and help people in even small ways, that gives me a true sense of purpose.
Here are more details about me.
I worked at Huatai-Pinebridge Investment ($70 billion AUM) from 2020 to 2023, specializing in QDII ETF products. I was responsible for overseeing the full lifecycle of QDII ETFs, including product establishment, listing, securities settlement, and valuation. Key products under my management included the Nasdaq 100 ETF (513110), HSI Tech ETF (513130), CSI-KRX Semi ETF (513310), and HK Dividend ETF (513530), etc. Notably, I led the launch of China’s first ETF investing in the Korean market, as well as the first China-Korea co-compiled index ETF, which had a significant impact on China’s investment landscape.
Since QDII ETFs were still in their early stages of development at the time, I took the initiative to build a data pipeline that integrated transaction and valuation data from multiple sources, including stock exchanges, brokers, and Bloomberg, etc. I worked closely with custodians such as J.P. Morgan and Citi, as well as brokers like Jane Street and Optiver, to streamline data ingestion and enhance automation. This significantly improved the efficiency and accuracy of securities settlement and valuation processes. Additionally, I participated in upgrading the valuation system and automating workflows, particularly in data extraction and calculation logic for ETF products, further optimizing fund operations.
Prior to this, I interned in quantitative analysis at major financial institutions, including CITIC Securities and China Merchants Securities, and in financial analysis at Deloitte. These experiences strengthened my expertise in macroeconomic analysis and investment portfolio, providing me with a strong foundation in financial markets.
To gain a deeper understanding of the work of software engineers, I am currently developing a full-stack social platform targeting residents of New York City. New York is a vibrant city with countless exciting activities to explore and interesting people to meet. The platform allows users to find like-minded companions by posting activities or plans, such as seeking a badminton partner, a museum buddy, or a food exploration companion. This way, users can not only discover more fun activities in New York but also connect with others who share similar interests.
I built the frontend using React for a responsive, dynamic user interface, leveraging React Router for navigation. The backend is built with Node.js and Express, utilizing MySQL for relational database management. User authentication and authorization are implemented by using JWT and Cookies. To ensure smooth integration and delivery, I implemented the CI/CD process through GitHub Actions, enabling automated testing, building, and deployment pipelines. The platform is hosted on AWS, using EC2 for scalable compute resources and RDS for the managed MySQL database.
Here is the current version for this application (NYer), and it has not yet been actively used.
The Efficient Market Hypothesis posits that stock prices incorporate all available information. While traditional financial analysis relies on structured numerical data, unstructured textual data, such as news, can also offer valuable insights. This project explores the relationship between news sentiment and market trends, assessing whether news content and tone can help predict market movements.
To enable large-scale data processing, I set up a distributed computing environment using AWS EMR with Apache Spark. A NLP pipeline was developed for text preprocessing, including tokenization, normalization, and lemmatization. Feature extraction techniques such as TF-IDF, NER, and Sentiment Analysis were implemented to quantify key textual attributes. Machine learning models, including Random Forest with SMOTE, Logistic Regression with hyperparameter tuning, Naive Bayes, and Linear Regression were implemented. To address high dimensionality, PCA was applied to streamline the feature space while retaining essential information. For more details, check out here.
Currently, I am pursuing a Master of Science degree in Computer Information Systems at Baruch College, where I am studying courses such as Data Structures, System Design, Cybersecurity, and Natural Language Processing, etc. I have achieved highest grades in Statistics, Data Mining, and Big Data Technologies. Additionally, I worked as a Teaching Assistant for Data Mining and served as the Vice President of Graduate Beta Alpha Psi.
I earned a Master's degree in Accounting and Finance from the University of Melbourne in 2019, excelling in courses like Quantitative Methods, Economics, Investment Management, and Financial Management. During this time, I successfully passed the CFA Level I exam and served as the Treasurer at the Multi Art Society.
I hold dual Bachelor's degrees in Economics and Management from Dongbei University of Finance and Economics, where my coursework in finance provided a solid foundation for my career. I particularly excelled in Calculus, Linear Algebra, Portfolio Management, and Derivatives. I was awarded scholarships for four consecutive years, graduating with honors in 2017.
I enjoy immersing myself in my own world, diving deep into the things I love. I have a passion for exploring anything that sparks my curiosity.
Reading and writing have always been passions of mine, largely influenced by my family. From an early age, I immersed myself in a wide range of books, including classic literature, novels, history, and philosophy. Some of my writings have earned awards and been published. Reading has deepened my understanding of the complexities of human nature and allowed me to connect with a wide spectrum of emotions. My favorite books include Crime and Punishment, One Hundred Years of Solitude, and Hegel's History of philosophy. I’m especially drawn to characters who, even in the face of adversity, remain hopeful and determined, navigating life's uncertainties with poise and resilience. While we are small in the face of fate, our mindset and perception are within our control.
One of my favorite quotes is from the ancient Greek philosopher Epictetus: "We are cast upon a stage we did not choose, in a play we did not write. All that remains is to perform our role with all that we have."
I have a deep passion for traveling, as I believe that exploring the world and immersing myself in the cultures, customs, social structures, and histories of different places provides a more comprehensive understanding of life. Only by stepping beyond my own boundaries and break free from narrow perspectives, can I truly cultivate open-mindedness and find inner peace. I aspire to travel the world—not just to see new places, but to deeply engage with their histories. I am particularly fascinated by Italy, especially the Renaissance era, which marked an extraordinary period of artistic and intellectual awakening. This is a small map to record where I have been to.
I have a deep passion for drawing, especially sketching and oil painting. I also love appreciating artwork, particularly pieces rich in meaning or historical significance. Beyond that, I enjoy designing elegant dresses and have a keen eye for fabric selection and garment tailoring. If the opportunity arises, I would love to explore fashion design and bring my creative visions to life.
Photography: Beginner
Pickleball: Beginner
Skiing: Enthusiast
Hiking: Enthusiast
Piano: Beethoven would cry
Dreaming: World-class visionary
Planning: Expert
Executing plans: Guess