US vs UK hedge fund industry

Hello fellow primates, 

So I'm currently writing up my physics doctoral thesis at Oxford in UK and am keen on doing quant research or quant trading upon graduation. The obvious choice is applying to London hedge funds such as G-Research, SquarePoint, and the UK branches of American funds such as Citadel, DE Shaw, etc. However, I have right now an opportunity to do a short and easy stint as a postdoc in Pittsburgh, USA immideatly following graduation (the prof there is a great mentor of mine and would give me lots of time to prepare for the quant interviews). This move would permit me to apply to funds based in Chicago, Philadelphia and New York.

So, do you guys think I should go to the US and try to break into the US hedge fund industry, or rather try to get a job right out of my PhD in London? Where do you guys think it's better for finance overall?


PS: Hedge fund recruiters don't care whether I do a postdoc or not, right? I assume there's no advantage to applying for jobs straight out of a PhD program vs from a postdoc?

6 Comments
 

The UK hedge fund market doesn't exist it's just a few boomers in Mayfair who try to be like the big boys in NYC

 

Eveniet dolor recusandae et libero neque. Aut quisquam temporibus id quibusdam modi. Vero dolores non minus rem voluptate. Expedita ut impedit ab culpa est mollitia. Similique natus perspiciatis itaque qui optio omnis.

Debitis dolor aut rerum. Et molestiae quibusdam reprehenderit omnis.

Career Advancement Opportunities

July 2026 Hedge Fund

  • Point72 99.0%
  • D.E. Shaw 98.1%
  • Citadel Investment Group 97.1%
  • AQR Capital Management 96.2%
  • Magnetar Capital 95.2%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

July 2026 Hedge Fund

  • Magnetar Capital 99.0%
  • D.E. Shaw 98.0%
  • Blackstone Group 97.1%
  • Citadel Investment Group 96.1%
  • Millennium Partners 95.1%

Professional Growth Opportunities

July 2026 Hedge Fund

  • AQR Capital Management 99.0%
  • Point72 98.1%
  • D.E. Shaw 97.1%
  • Citadel Investment Group 96.2%
  • Magnetar Capital 95.2%

Total Avg Compensation

July 2026 Hedge Fund

  • Portfolio Manager (9) $1,648
  • Vice President (27) $464
  • Director/MD (12) $423
  • NA (9) $320
  • Engineer/Quant (86) $288
  • 3rd+ Year Associate (26) $284
  • Manager (4) $282
  • 2nd Year Associate (32) $253
  • 1st Year Associate (77) $191
  • Analysts (242) $181
  • Intern/Summer Associate (29) $145
  • Junior Trader (5) $102
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (282) $96
notes
16 IB Interviews Notes

“... there’s no excuse to not take advantage of the resources out there available to you. Best value for your $ are the...”

Leaderboard

success
From 10 rejections to 1 dream investment banking internship

“... I believe it was the single biggest reason why I ended up with an offer...”