Toronto, ON - July 5, 2019: The Fields Institute is pleased to announce the appointment of Professor Luis Seco as Director of the Fields Centre for Quantitative Analysis and Modelling (Fields CQAM) for a one year term, effective July 1, 2019. Dr. Seco will take over from Professor Huaxiong Huang, who led Fields CQAM since its establishment in 2018 and served as the Fields Institute Deputy Director from July 2016 to June 2019. Dr. Huang will return to his position as professor in the Department of Mathematics and Statistics at York University.

Dr. Seco brings to this role over 20 years of experience in both research and teaching, as well as strong connections to business and industry. He is co-founder of Sigma Analysis & Management Ltd. (1999), where he continues to serve as President and CEO. Dr. Seco began his career in financial risk management in 1996 while a professor at the University of Toronto, founding RiskLab, a campus-based research center pioneering new innovations in risk and asset management. Sigma Analysis was born as a spin-off of RiskLab’s early research activity. 

Dr. Seco is currently the Director of the Mathematical Finance Program at the University of Toronto. He holds a Ph.D. from Princeton University and was formerly the Bateman Instructor at the California Institute of Technology. He has authored numerous papers on financial risk management, investments and market models and has won a number of research awards; he is also the CEO of the Centre of Digital Management and Technology Innovation, an institution to leverage the University network worldwide to provide training, research and innovation in the digital world.

“I am very happy that Luis has agreed to take on this leadership role,” said Fields Institute Director Kumar Murty. “He has a lot of experience in connecting the various stakeholders that are important for Fields CQAM and he will be building on the foundational work of Huaxiong Huang to grow Fields CQAM to the next level.”

Sigma Analysis began with three employees at the Fields Institute in 1999. In 2017, Sigma celebrated the 10th anniversary of Sigma’s “graduation” from the Fields start-up program.

“The Fields Institute is an international icon in the world of Mathematics, an exceptional partner to businesses across the nation and beyond; CQAM is a center to understand a world which is increasingly quantitative and where innovation is key." Seco said. "I feel extremely excited and proud to continue the initiative launched by Prof. Huang and to work alongside my friends and colleagues at the Institute, especially its new director Prof. Kumar Murty, to promote quantitative modelling in every corner of the business world, academia everywhere and all levels of Government."

About Fields CQAM

Launched in 2018, the Fields Centre for Quantitative Analysis and Modelling (Fields CQAM) applies Ontario’s expertise in advanced mathematics to challenges in healthcare, finance, manufacturing and other critical sectors of the provincial economy. Through 11 university-based labs, Fields CQAM strives to develop new businesses, technologies, and learning opportunities for students and professionals. Our thematic programs bring world-leading experts in quantitative sciences to the Fields Institute and university campuses across Ontario. The Fields CQAM incubation program provides support and guidance to the Province’s most ambitious mathematical entrepreneurs and its renowned Industrial Problem Solving Workshops use cutting-edge industry challenges as a tool for training and practical business problem-solving.

About The Fields Institute for Research in Mathematical Sciences

The Fields Institute is an internationally renowned centre for mathematical collaboration, innovation, and learning. Every year, the Institute hosts more than 4,000 visitors from around the world. Its mission is to provide a supportive and rich environment for mathematics innovation and education. It promotes collaboration between mathematicians and those working in other disciplines such as engineering, the physical and biological sciences, medicine, economics, finance, telecommunications and information systems. To learn more about the Institute, visit www.fields.utoronto.ca.

Media Contacts:

Fields CQAM
Tracy Barber

416-348-9710, ext. 3024

The Fields Institute
Esther Berzunza

416-348-9710, ext. 2014