Nelson Saiers
Nelson Saiers is an American artist and math Ph.D.[1][2][3] He earned his doctorate in 1 year at age 23. Before becoming an artist, he was previously Chief Investment Officer of Saiers Capital, LLC (formerly Alphabet Management, LLC). Earlier in his career he was a Managing Director at Deutsche Bank AG.
Education
In 1998, Nelson Saiers earned his Ph.D. in mathematics from the University of Virginia at the age of 23,[4] only one year after completing his undergraduate studies.[5] He studied algebraic topology and cobordism theory.[6]
At Deutsche Bank Saiers was known for his mental math abilities, in particular, squaring large numbers. On one such occasion in 2008, he squared a 20-digit number in his head on a flight back to New York from a business meeting in London.
Financial career
Nelson began his trading career at Susquehanna Investment Group. He also later worked at UBS and Deutsche Bank.[7] At Deutsche Bank, Nelson was a Managing Director and a proprietary trading business focused on derivatives.[7]
In July 2010, Nelson left Deustche Bank to join Alphabet Management, a New York hedge fund specializing in options.[7] He was promoted to Chief Investment Officer in March 2011, just eight months after joining the firm.[8][9] Saiers' younger brother Scott also joined Alphabet in February 2012 as Head Trader.[10]
In December 2012 Alphabet announced that the firm would be changing its name to Saiers Capital, LLC.[11] Barron's described Saiers as a top quantitative investor.[12]
Art career
Nelson is currently a professional artist based in New York City.[13] [14] Mathematics, finance, physics, and braille play a significant role in his art.[15] His art has been featured in solo shows at Harvard University, Alcatraz, HG Contemporary Gallery, and Studio Vendome.[16][17][18][19][20][21] The New York Observer referred to Saiers as "The Warhol of Wall Street" [22] and Artnet asked if he is a modern-day Kandinsky.[23]
Life and personality
Saiers was born in Denver, Colorado but raised in Ethiopia, Afghanistan, Swaziland, and Ghana while his father worked for the USAID. As a child he lived through several wars including tanks firing outside his house in Afghanistan and being held up at machine gun point as a one year old.[24]
Saiers is a practicing Christian.
Press quotes
Nelson has been quoted in Bloomberg,[25] The Wall Street Journal,[26] Barron's,[27] and The Financial Post on topics such as China,[28] India, European Sovereign Debt,[29] Facebook,[30] Dell,[31] and the price of gold as well as overall market trends.
Philanthropy
Nelson has an affiliation with charity: water, which attempts to provide clean water to those in developing countries. Nelson is a Founding Member of The Well, a core group of donors who support charity: water.[32]
In October 2013, during the graffiti artist Banksy's month-long New York project "Better Out Than In," Nelson made a public offer to donate $100,000 to the Hurricane Sandy rebuilding effort if Banksy created a legal mural in New York to raise awareness for people still affected by the storm.[33] An anonymous donor "RD" has also joined this effort, and has pledged an additional $100,000. Nelson has created a website for the effort: http://www.heybanksy.com. Whether the piece was created or not is unknown, but on October 28, Nelson decided to go forward with the $100,000 donation regardless.[34]
References
- ^ Daniel, Daria. "artnet Asks: Nelson Saiers, Artist-Mathematician". Artnet.com. Retrieved March 31, 2015.
- ^ O'Shaughnessy, Tracey. "Connecting the Dots". uvamagazine.org. UVA Magazine. Retrieved March 2015.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|accessdate=(help) - ^ "085. Nelson Saiers". Traction Magazine.
- ^ Creswell, Julie (March 17, 2011). "Funds Find Opportunities in Volatility". New York Times. Retrieved January 31, 2013.
- ^ "UVA News". Retrieved January 31, 2013.[full citation needed]
- ^ Saiers, Nelson (19 May 2000). "The cobordism classification of projective space bundles". Topology and its Applications. 103 (2): 179–186. doi:10.1016/S0166-8641(99)00002-4. Retrieved January 31, 2013.
- ^ a b c Kearns, Jeff (15 July 2010). "Deutsche Bank Loses Option Trader Saiers to Hedge Fund Alphabet Management". Bloomberg. Retrieved 21 February 2013.
- ^ Kearns, Jeff (March 15, 2011). "Alphabet Promotes Saiers to Investment Chief of Volatility Fund". Bloomberg. Retrieved January 31, 2013.
- ^ "Saiers Rising, Becomes CIO of Hedge Fund Alphabet". FINAlternatives. 16 March 2011. Retrieved 21 February 2013.
- ^ Hiralal, Baz (23 February 2012). "Movers and Shakers". The Deal Pipeline. Retrieved 21 February 2013.
- ^ Gammeltoft, Nikolaj (December 7, 2012). "Saiers Made Partner at Alphabet Management After 27% Gain". Bloomberg. Retrieved January 31, 2013.
- ^ dietrich, chris. "A Hedge Funder's Merger of Aesthetics and Math". barrons.com. dow jones.
- ^ http://www.foxnews.com/science/2014/11/07/perfect-equation-nelson-saiers-combines-math-and-art/.
{{cite web}}: External link in|website=|title=(help); Missing or empty|url=(help) - ^ http://www.huffingtonpost.com/nelson-saiers/math-and-art-a-visual-pro_b_6184790.html.
{{cite web}}: External link in|website=|title=(help); Missing or empty|url=(help) - ^ Palermo, Elizabeth. "Math Meets Art in NYC Exhibition". livescience.
- ^ Vioien, Guelda. "The Warhol of Wall Street". New York Observer.
- ^ Dietrich, Chris. "A Hedge Funders Merger of Aesthetics and Math". Barrons.com. Barrons.
- ^ nelsonsaiers.com http://www.nelsonsaiers.com/harvard.
{{cite web}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ^ Voien, Guelda. "The Warhol of Wall Street". Observer.
{{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter:|dead-url=(help) - ^ "New art installation on Alcatraz challenges prison sentencing". Time Out San Francisco.
{{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter:|dead-url=(help) - ^ Shea, Nicole. "Managed Futures". Eiropenojournal.com. Europenow.
- ^ Voien, Guelda (2016-04-21). "The Warhol of Wall Street". Observer.
{{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter:|dead-url=(help) - ^ Daniel, Daria. "artnet Asks: Nelson Saiers, Artist-Mathematician". Artnet.
- ^ O'Shaughnessy, Tracey. "Connecting the Dots". UVA Magazine.
- ^ Gammeltoft, Nikolaj, Liz Capo McCormick & Cecile Vannucci (2 April 2012). "Volatility Lowest Since '07 in Stocks, Bonds, Currencies". Bloomberg. Retrieved 21 February 2013.
{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ^ Nayak, Debiprasad and Tatyana Shumsky (24 December 2011). "India Slows Rush for Gold: Rupee's Fall Hits World's Biggest Consumer of Gold, and Possibly Global Prices". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 21 February 2013.
- ^ Conway, Brendan (30 June 2012). "How to Profit from High Correlation". Barrons. Retrieved 21 February 2013.
- ^ Cao, Belinda and Leon Lazaroff (2 July 2012). "Internet Stocks Lead Retreat on Manufacturing: China Overnight". Bloomberg Businessweek. Retrieved 21 February 2013.
- ^ Newcomb, Peter (27 July 2012). "World's Richest Gain $15.2 Billion as Global Markets Rise". Bloomberg Businessweek. Retrieved 21 February 2013.
- ^ Vannucci, Cecile and Nikolaj Gammeltoft (30 May 2012). "Facebook Contracts Top 365,000 in Fastest Start for IPO". Bloomberg. Retrieved 21 February 2013.
- ^ Gammeltoft, Nikolaj and Cecile Vannucci (18 January 2013). "Dell Options Show Traders Betting on Buyout About $14". Bloomberg Businessweek. Retrieved 21 February 2013.
- ^ "2010 Financial Report".
- ^ Gammeltoft, Nikolaj (7 October 2013). "Hedge-Fund Manager Saiers Offers Banksy $100,000 for Sandy Help". Bloomberg. Retrieved 8 October 2013.
- ^ STONE, MADELINE. "Hedge Fund Manager Donates $100,000 To Hurricane Sandy Relief Without Banksy's Help". Business Insider.