Fields Notes 17:3 | Page 5

Matheus Grasselli takes over as Director of the Fields Centre for Financial Industries He believes it’s important to participate in Fields programs, to ensure they continue to make a lasting impression on the community. “I’ve experienced the impact that Fields has on the mathematical community, but none of that could be achieved without the active participation of local academics, who are the soul of the Institute.”  The Centre is the focal point for Fields activities in quantitative finance. The Fields Institute and Ryerson DMZ Collaboration Set to Take Mathematical Startups to the Next Level THE FIELDS INSTITUTE is pleased to announce the appointment of Professor Matheus Grasselli as Director of the Fields Centre for Financial Industries (CFI) for a 3-year term, effective September 1, 2017. Grasselli takes over from Dan Rosen, who has led the Centre since its establishment in 2015. Grasselli is currently a Professor of Financial Mathematics working with the PhiMac group in the Department of Mathematics and Statisticsat McMaster University, and previously served as the Fields Institute Deputy Director from 2012-2016. As Deputy Director, Grasselli was directly involved in the creation of the CFI, and is excited to take on this new role and lead the Centre in new directions. “Quantitative Finance is experiencing a renewal in terms of topics, techniques, and scope. This includes new areas in data analytics, blockchain technologies and other FinTech related topics. It will be exciting to see the Fields Institute develop a leadership role in this new landscape just as it did in the initial stages of financial mathematics.” Grasselli has been consistently involved with Institute activities since his arrival to Canada in 2001, including organizing a major thematic program in 2010. “As a lead organizer of the thematic program on Quantitative Finance in 2010, I saw the convergence of world experts to Toronto and the tremendous boost it gave to research in the area, not to mention the impact on the career of young researchers, postdocs, and graduate students,” says Grasselli, who became a Fields Institute Fellow earlier this year. Collaboration will provide startup incubation and employment opportunities. THE FIELDS INSTITUTE AND THE DMZ at Ryerson Univer- sity – the number one university-based incubator in North America – are excited to announce a new collaboration to further entrepreneurship in the mathematical sciences. The partnership aims to provide improved support for promising startups in the mathematical sciences as well as employment and partnership opportunities for students. This will also include quality startup referrals, potential partner- ships, and invitations to events and workshops for member startups. The Fields Institute is one of the premier mathematical research institutes in Canada providing a stimulating environment for mathematical innovation and education. Since 1999, Fields has fostered startup companies that commercialize mathematical ideas, giving them access to the physical, intellectual, and logistical resources of the Institute. Graduates of the Fields startup program include the Toronto-based asset management firm Sigma Analysis and Management, R2 Financial Technologies, Synchrony Consulting Services, and QWeMA (Quantitative Wealth Management Analytics) Group. Currently, start-up incubation 5