W. Zachary Horton
PhD Candidate / Quant Researcher
Delivering Impactful Insights Through Thoughtful, Data-Driven Analysis
Yeah, the tagline is a little dorky, but it comes with the territory. Thanks for visiting my site! I’m a soon-to-graduate PhD candidate studying statistics and a part-time quant researcher. My academic research focuses on Bayesian nonparametrics and renewal processes, but I’m also interested in risk modeling, quantitative finance, and data science more broadly. So, if you need someone capable of delivering impactful insights through thoughtful, data-driven analysis -corny shudders- let’s chat!
Interests
- Quant Investing and Risk Modeling
- Data Science and Machine Learning
- Bayesian Statistical Methods
Education
PhD Statistical Science
University of California, Santa Cruz
MS Statistics
Brigham Young University
BS Actuarial Science
Brigham Young University
About Me
Experience
Quant Researcher / Data Scientist
Double River Investments- Part-time work during academic year alongside PhD studies
Academic Collaborator
Exercise Science Departments at Various Universities- Collaborations include BYU, UNC Chapel Hill, and University of Michigan
Actuarial Consulting Intern - Health and Benefits
AonCourse Instructor / Teaching Assistant
UCSC/BYU Statistics Departments
Education
PhD Statistical Science
University of California, Santa Cruz- Dissertation: Flexible Mixture Modeling Approaches to Renewal Processes
- Advisor: Dr. Athanasios Kottas
MS Statistics
Brigham Young University- Dissertation: Template Priors in Bayesian Curve Registration
- Advisor: Dr. Garritt Page
BS Actuarial Science
Brigham Young University- Magna Cum Laude with 3.94 GPA
- Passed 4 SOA Exams
Awards
Best Talk Award
j-ISBA BAYSM Conference 2023 ∙
Nov 2023
- One of two winners out of 75+ presenters in the short talk competition
ARCS Scholar Fellowship
ARCS Foundation ∙
Sep 2023
- Awarded to top STEM PhD students in California
- Received in both 2021 and 2023
- Specifically asked to present to donors in 2023
Koerner Family Fellowship
UCSC Statistics Department ∙
Sep 2022
- Awarded to top STEM PhD students from universities accross the country
Department Fellowships
UCSC Statistics Department ∙
Jun 2023
- Dual first-year fellowships awarded to attract top students to the program (received 2019)
- Summer fellowship awarded to support research during the summer (received 2022/23)
Honorable Mention Student Presentation
Actuarial Research Conference 2019 ∙
Jun 2019
2nd Place, 3 Minute Thesis Competition
BYU College of Physical and Mathematical Sciences ∙
Feb 2019
- 3 minutes and 1 slide to explain thesis topic to a lay audience
- Competed against 15 other finalists from across the college
Publications
(2024).
A log-logistic basis model for renewal process hazards.
In preparation for Bayesian Analysis.
(2024).
Modeling dependent sojourn distributions in Markov renewal processes.
In preparation for Journal of the American Statistical Association.
(2024).
Sustained limb-level loading: a ground reaction force phenotype common to individuals at high risk for and those with knee osteoarthritis.
Arthritis & Rheumatology.