Finance education and research have long been pillars of a Wharton education. In 2020, the Wharton School furthered that commitment with the establishment of the Dr. Bruce I. Jacobs Scholars in Quantitative Finance. Today, the 2021–22 Jacobs Scholars continue to highlight quantitative finance’s evolving role in business — and its importance as a growing strategic priority that helps keep Wharton at the forefront of business education.
Made possible by the generosity of Dr. Bruce I. Jacobs, G’79, GRW’86, Jacobs Scholars represent an elite group of exceptional quantitative finance majors entering their second year of the Wharton MBA program. The 10 recipients will focus their studies on applying financial economics to security pricing and asset management. They will each receive a $25,000 award in support of their tuition.
“Quantitative finance has contributed many important innovations to the global economy, and I am proud to be investing in the future of this vitally important field,” said Jacobs, who is co-chief investment officer, portfolio manager, and co-director of research at Jacobs Levy Equity Management, a firm he co-founded in 1986. “Jacobs Scholars will leave Wharton with the knowledge and skills to be future leaders in finance.”
Jacobs made an additional gift to Wharton in 2020 to establish the Dr. Bruce I. Jacobs Professorship in Quantitative Finance. These contributions build on his longstanding support of Wharton and their shared vision for the future of finance. Jacobs, along with the School, are investing in the next generation of leaders who will use their knowledge to tackle emerging economic, health, and market issues.
The quantitative finance major at Wharton — which includes cross-disciplinary studies in accounting, statistics, and operations, information, and decisions — is broadly appealing to students with strong quantitative backgrounds in fields such as engineering and computer science. The major allows them to hone their technical expertise and leadership skills in preparation for their future careers. The Jacobs Scholars initiative helps Wharton attract top-caliber MBA students in this burgeoning field and sets them up to make an impact in communities around the world.
Wharton is proud to recognize the 2021–22 Jacobs Scholars: Ross Hochwert, GEN’22, WG’22; Brian Phillip Fulginiti, WG’22; Brittany Drengler, WG’22; Joy (Tianjiao) Gao, WG’22; Katelyn (Yankun) Wu, ENG’13, WG’22; Swati Bhatia, WG’22; Sara (Man Chi) Fung, WG’22; Robert Joseph Harrison, W’18, WG’22; Sophia Kim, WG’22; and Jahan Zaib, WG’22.