Quant Finance Boot Camp
Fall 2025
Sep 10, 2025
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Dec 19, 2025
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Registration Deadlines
Jul 2, 2025
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All Erdős Summer 2025 Career Launch Cohort or Alumni Club members who are not participating in another Launch bootcamp
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Click here to be invited to the slack organization: The Erdős Institute
Click here to access the slack cohort channel: #slack-cohort-channel
Click here to access the slack program channel: #slack-program-channel
Click here to download the Events & Deadlines .ics calendar file
Organizers, Instructors, and Advisors
Thomas Polstra
Assistant Professor of Mathematics
Office Hours:
Wednesday 12:00-1:00 central
Email:
Preferred Contact:
Slack
Do not hesitate to reach out with any questions you may have through Slack @Thomas Polstra
Objectives
By the end of this course, students will be able to:
Use probabilistic techniques to predict stock movement volatility using historical data. Use volatility predictions to evaluate a portfolio's value at risk and to price European option contracts using Monte-Carlo methodology. Create accurate European option price predictions by enhancing Monte-Carlo simulations through the use of control variates. Accuracy will be measured against closed-form solutions to option contracts provided by Black-Scholes option pricing equations. Adjust Monte-Carlo simulations of European contracts for the purpose of pricing more complicated option contracts whose expected value does not have a closed form solutions. Such option contracts may include American, Asian, lookback, and barrier option contracts. Develop hedging strategies which minimize risk and improve expected profit distributions of an option investment strategy. Backtest a trading strategy using historical stock prices.
Disclaimer:
By enrolling in this course you agree that in no event shall the Erdős Institute, its affiliates and their respective employees, agents, representatives and content providers or service providers be liable for damages of any kind, including, without limitation, direct, indirect, compensatory, special, incidental, punitive and consequential damages even if made aware of the possibility of such damages, whether in an action under contract, negligence or other theory, arising out of or in connection with the use, inability to use or performance of any course content, materials or services.
First Steps/Prerequisites
Program Content
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Course materials are available on github through the following link:
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Textbook/Notes
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Using yfinance, introduction to volatility, and stock modeling
Lecture
Introduction to analyzing financial data with yfinance, modeling random walks, and measuring volatility.
Black-Scholes Equations
Lecture
Derive the closed form solution of the value of a call and put option when stock paths distributions are assumed to be geometric brownian motions and risk-free.
Black-Scholes and Real World Stock Paths
Lecture
An examination of Black-Scholes assumptions versus real-world stock path movements.
Probability Review
Lecture
Probability Review
Stock paths as GBM
Lecture
Stock paths as geometric Brownian motion and vectorized coding for fast simulation
Delta Hedging
Lecture
Delta Hedging and MC simulation
Implied Volatility in Market Data
Lecture
Look into implied volatilities and overview of the Heston model.
Probability Review and Probabilistic Methods in Python
Lecture
Central Limit Theorem review and Probabilistic Methods in Monte-Carlo Simulation
Options and Monte-Carlo Methods 1
Lecture
Estimate the fair market price of a European option using Monte-Carlo methods. Examine the influence of model parameters of stock under Geometric Brownian Assumptions on expected value of an option.
Delta Hedging and MC simulation
Lecture
Delta Hedging and MC simulation
Heston Model Simulation
Lecture
Heston Model simulation in a python coding environment
Project/Homework Instructions
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Schedule
Click on any date for more details
Phase 1 - Instruction and Project Completion: Sep 16 - Nov 5, 2025
Project Review & Judging: Nov 6 - Nov 12, 2025
Phase 2 - Intense Interview Prep & Career Connections: Nov 13 - Dec 19, 2025
Orientation
Sep 11, 2025 at 05:00 PM UTC
EVENT
Lecture 02
Sep 18, 2025 at 05:00 PM UTC
EVENT
Lecture 04
Sep 25, 2025 at 05:00 PM UTC
EVENT
Lecture 06
Oct 2, 2025 at 05:00 PM UTC
EVENT
Lecture 08
Oct 9, 2025 at 05:00 PM UTC
EVENT
Lecture 10
Oct 16, 2025 at 05:00 PM UTC
EVENT
Office Hour
Oct 31, 2025 at 05:00 PM UTC
EVENT
Lecture 01
Sep 16, 2025 at 05:00 PM UTC
EVENT
Lecture 03
Sep 23, 2025 at 05:00 PM UTC
EVENT
Lecture 05
Sep 30, 2025 at 05:00 PM UTC
EVENT
Lecture 07
Oct 7, 2025 at 05:00 PM UTC
EVENT
Lecture 09
Oct 14, 2025 at 05:00 PM UTC
EVENT
Lecture 11
Oct 21, 2025 at 05:00 PM UTC
EVENT
Phase II Orientation
Nov 17, 2025 at 07:00 PM UTC
EVENT
Office Hour
Sep 17, 2025 at 05:00 PM UTC
EVENT
Office Hour
Sep 24, 2025 at 05:00 PM UTC
EVENT
Office Hour
Oct 1, 2025 at 05:00 PM UTC
EVENT
Office Hour
Oct 8, 2025 at 05:00 PM UTC
EVENT
Office Hour
Oct 15, 2025 at 05:00 PM UTC
EVENT
Lecture 12
Oct 30, 2025 at 05:00 PM UTC
EVENT
Project/Homework Deadlines
Sep 22, 2025
03:59 AM UTC
Last day to defer enrollment to a future cohort
Contact Amalya Lehmann (amalya@erdosinstitute.org) if you would like to unenroll from this cohort and defer to a future cohort.
Nov 8, 2025
04:59 AM UTC
Final Project Due
You must submit all deliverables of your final project by this deadline.

