April Xu (Yingnan)

April (Yingnan) Xu, CFA has a diverse work experience in the field of data science and quantitative research. April (Yingnan) is currently working as a Manager of Data Science at MasterClass since September 2021. Prior to this, they worked at Slalom from 2016 to 2021, holding various roles. April (Yingnan) served as a Senior Manager of Data Science from July 2021 to August 2021, where they were involved in the design and implementation of ML model operation mechanisms for large projects. As a Principal Data Scientist from October 2019 to June 2021, they engaged with senior executives to define AI strategy and development plans and developed novel algorithms to meet client needs. April (Yingnan) also worked as a Solution Architect from October 2017 to September 2019, leading discussions with clients to identify business objectives and translating them into ML use cases. Additionally, they were a Consultant from April 2016 to September 2017, independently designing and implementing AI/ML solutions while leveraging cutting-edge cloud compute technology.

Before joining Slalom, April worked as an Assistant Vice President of Quantitative Research at Voya Investment Management from May 2014 to November 2015. In this role, they performed portfolio optimizations, conducted performance attribution through statistical analysis, and backtested trading/asset allocation strategies for target date funds. Prior to that, they worked as a Senior Analyst in the Risk and Performance Department at Ziff Brothers Investments from March 2010 to May 2014, where they developed and maintained quantitative models and implemented statistical techniques.

April's earliest work experience was as a Summer Intern at Huaxia Bank in China's Corporate Mortgage Department from June 2009 to August 2009. Here, they conducted due diligence on corporate credibility and predicted potential mortgage losses through historical simulation. April (Yingnan) also worked as a Research Analyst at HKUST's Environment Research Institute from September 2007 to February 2008, where they fitted parametric models to datasets via Kolmogorov-Smirnov tests, and presented the project results to the Hong Kong Environment Protection Department for policy making.

April (Yingnan) Xu, CFA holds a Master's Degree in Financial Engineering from Columbia Engineering, which they obtained from 2008 to 2009. Prior to that, they completed a Bachelor's Degree in Statistics from The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology from 2004 to 2008. April (Yingnan) also participated in an exchange program at UCLA in 2007, focusing on Statistics. April has obtained multiple additional certifications over the years, including the Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) designation from the CFA Institute in 2013. April (Yingnan) has also completed certifications in various areas such as machine learning, cloud computing, and data engineering from institutions like DeepLearning.AI, edX, Coursera, and Google, among others.