MS Finance · CU Boulder · CFA Level II Candidate

Daniel
Biernat

MS Finance candidate at CU Boulder Leeds, CFA Level II candidate, and quantitative researcher on CU Quants' $500K student-run algorithmic trading fund. I build trading systems, financial data platforms, and analytical tools where precision actually matters.

3.70
Graduate GPA
10+
Projects Shipped
CFA II
Active Candidate

Published Work

Algorithmic Finance
Applied Hidden Markov Models for Cryptocurrency Trading
Eli Jordan, Tony Adams, Andy Gusty, Daniel Biernat — CU Quants, University of Colorado Boulder
October 2025 · 13 Pages

A comprehensive evaluation of HMM applications to cryptocurrency markets, examining multiple training methodologies including the Viterbi algorithm for regime decoding, Forward-Backward (Baum-Welch) optimization, and online learning approaches designed to adapt to rapidly evolving market conditions. Develops both discrete and continuous emission sequence models, demonstrating that HMMs incorporating price, volume, and volatility measures across 3–7 hidden states achieve optimal predictive performance for identifying latent volatility regimes.

13
Pages
3–7
Hidden States
3
Training Methods
2
Emission Models
Read Paper on CU Quants

Projects

Algorithmic Trading

HMM Trading System

6-layer stacked ensemble Hidden Markov Model for cryptocurrency regime detection and signal generation. Walk-forward validated with Optuna multi-objective hyperparameter optimization and parallel processing via joblib.

Python HMM scikit-learn Optuna Walk-Forward MLflow
1.68
Sharpe
2.15
Sortino
143.3%
Return
Algorithmic Trading

Unified Trading Framework

Production multi-asset trading system implementing ADX25_X2.5 strategy across 20 cryptocurrency assets. Desktop GUI with live execution, ensemble of 7 deep learning architectures including Transformer, TCN, LightGBM, Mamba, and xLSTM.

Python PyTorch LightGBM Transformer PySide6 Alpaca
20
Assets
36
Modules
7
Models
High-Frequency Trading

HFT Pairs Trading Engine

Sub-millisecond statistical arbitrage system on OKX perpetual futures. Numba JIT-compiled spread engine with Kalman filter dynamic hedge ratios and z-score mean reversion. 4-layer risk orchestrator with circuit breaker and real-time monitoring.

Python Numba JIT Kalman Filter OKX API TimescaleDB
<1ms
Execution
4-Layer
Risk System
Kalman
Hedge Ratio
Quantitative Finance

Derivatives Pricing App

Desktop application for options pricing, Greeks computation, and risk analysis. Built with Tauri 2 (Rust backend) for near-native performance and React 19 frontend with interactive visualization of payoff diagrams and volatility surfaces.

Tauri 2 Rust React 19 Black-Scholes Greeks
Beta · Coming Soon
Applied AI / Fine-Tuning

DentistGPT

Fine-tuning Google's MedGemma 1.5 4B vision-language model on dental radiograph datasets using 4-stage QLoRA curriculum training. Targeting 75%+ on MMOral-Bench, surpassing current SOTA (OralGPT at 66%). Trained on CU Boulder's Alpine A100 cluster.

Python QLoRA MedGemma PyTorch PEFT HuggingFace
4B
Parameters
4-Stage
Curriculum
75%+
Target Acc.
Scientific Computing

ConservaView

Open-source scientific platform automating structural biology and analytical chemistry workflows. Protein conservation visualization, AI-powered NMR/mass spec annotation, 3D structure viewing, and data utilities.

Next.js Molstar RDKit NMRium Claude AI
Launch App
Community Platform

XS750 Forum

Community forum for Yamaha XS750 triple motorcycle enthusiasts. Self-hosted platform for tech discussion, build logs, parts marketplace, and restoration resources.

phpBB Docker MariaDB Apache
Visit Forum
E-Commerce / Automotive

MotoWireWorks

Custom wire lead business for vintage motorcycle and automotive restoration. Build-to-order leads with selectable gauge, wire coating, color, and terminal ends — from quality Japanese bullet connectors to vintage plastic connectors. Expanding into multi-wire connectors, full custom harnesses, and LED conversion kits.

E-Commerce Custom Manufacturing Vintage Restoration
Coming Soon

Experience

2024 — Present
Quantitative Researcher
CU Quants Fund — Algorithmic Market-Making Hedge Fund, University of Colorado Boulder
  • Research team member for a real-money quantitative fund trading across 9 crypto and stablecoin markets
  • Fund returned 9.74% in Q3 2025 (vs. S&P 500 at 8.1%), 39.5% annualized since May 2025 inception
  • Co-authored "Applied Hidden Markov Models for Cryptocurrency Trading" (Oct 2025)
2024 — Present
Founder & Developer
FinEdge Labs
  • Built full-stack SaaS extracting segment financials from 492 S&P 500 companies
  • XBRL + HTML + LLM pipeline achieving 99.2% extraction accuracy across 77,736+ segments
  • Deployed on Render/Vercel with Next.js dashboard, REST API, and Excel add-in
Sep 2023 — Aug 2025
Data & Operations Analyst
Planta Analytica, Inc.
  • Conducted statistical analysis supporting budgeting, cost tracking, and cash flow reporting
  • Optimized recurring processes through documentation and innovative methods
Jan 2024 — Aug 2025
Mathematics AI Trainer
Outlier
  • Developed advanced mathematical prompts for AI model training
  • Evaluated and refined AI-generated responses for mathematical accuracy and pedagogical value
Jun 2021 — Aug 2021
Summer Intern
Fiducient Investment Advisors
  • Completed comprehensive 12-module training program in financial and investment knowledge
  • Identified and evaluated actively managed funds for hypothetical client scenarios

Education & Certifications

Master of Science in Finance
University of Colorado Boulder, Leeds School of Business
Expected May 2026 · GPA: 3.70 / 4.00
BA Mathematics & BA Economics
University of Colorado Boulder
Graduated August 2023 · Minor in Business
CFA Level II
CFA Institute
Active Candidate
CFA Level I
CFA Institute
Passed
Bloomberg Market Concepts
Bloomberg LP
Certified
M&A Modeling
Wall Street Prep
Certified
LBO Modeling
Wall Street Prep
Certified

About

I'm an MS Finance candidate at CU Boulder's Leeds School of Business and a CFA Level II candidate. My work sits at the intersection of quantitative finance and applied computer science — building the tools, models, and systems that turn market data into decisions.

As a quantitative researcher on the CU Quants Fund — a real-money algorithmic market-making hedge fund at CU Boulder — I work on the Research team developing trading strategies across 9 crypto markets. The fund returned 39.5% annualized since its May 2025 inception, and I co-authored published research on Hidden Markov Models for cryptocurrency trading.

I also founded FinEdge Labs — a SaaS platform that extracts segment-level financials from SEC filings at institutional scale. I build systems that are production-grade: backtested, validated, and deployed.

When I'm not running models, I'm rebuilding a vintage Yamaha XS750 triple, producing electronic music, or somewhere in the mountains on skis.

Education MS Finance, CU Boulder (2026)
Certification CFA Level II Candidate
Research CU Quants — $500K Fund
Clubs CU Quants, LITG
Languages English, Polish, Spanish
Location Superior, CO

Technical Skills

Quantitative Finance

  • Options Pricing (Black-Scholes, Greeks)
  • HMM Regime Detection
  • Statistical Arbitrage
  • Portfolio Construction
  • Derivatives Valuation
  • Risk Management (VaR, CVaR)
  • Kelly Criterion / Position Sizing
  • Factor Models

Machine Learning & Data

  • PyTorch / Deep Learning
  • Transformer / TCN / xLSTM
  • LightGBM / XGBoost
  • QLoRA / PEFT Fine-tuning
  • Pandas / NumPy / SciPy
  • SEC EDGAR / XBRL Parsing
  • Kalman Filtering
  • Time Series Analysis

Engineering & Infra

  • Python (primary)
  • TypeScript / React / Next.js
  • FastAPI / REST API Design
  • PostgreSQL / TimescaleDB
  • Docker / Linux / Self-hosting
  • Numba JIT Optimization
  • Rust / Tauri
  • Git / CI/CD

Get in touch

Targeting quantitative research, trading, and analyst roles at hedge funds, prop trading firms, and investment banks. Open to full-time opportunities starting 2026.