Key Takeaways
- • Two Sigma recruited Francesco Maria Delle Fave from Goldman Sachs as senior vice president for AI and machine learning in London, marking a strategic talent acquisition in quantitative research infrastructure.
- • Delle Fave brings eight years of Goldman experience, including roles as EMEA head of applied AI and EMEA head of data science and machine learning in quantitative finance, directly addressing Two Sigma's expansion of AI-powered research tools.
- • Two Sigma's London office compensates staff at £377k ($507k) per head in annual wages and salaries—higher than competitors Citadel and Brevan Howard—reflecting competitive positioning in AI talent acquisition.
- • Delle Fave's expertise in reinforcement learning and synthetic data aligns with Two Sigma's long-standing AI capabilities; the fund has deployed generative AI for at least five years and NLP for over a decade, with RL applications documented since 2021.
- • The hire underscores intensifying competition between hedge funds and traditional financial institutions for specialized AI talent, as quant funds offer compensation packages that exceed Big Tech benchmarks.
Summary
Two Sigma has secured Francesco Maria Delle Fave, a senior AI technologist with eight years of experience at Goldman Sachs, to lead machine learning capabilities at its London office. Delle Fave assumes the role of senior vice president for AI and machine learning, focusing on tools that power the quantitative hedge fund's research platform. His tenure at Goldman included leadership positions as EMEA head of applied AI and EMEA head of the data science and machine learning in quantitative finance team, after beginning his career at the bank as a quant strategist. As a PhD mathematician, Delle Fave brings specialized expertise in reinforcement learning and synthetic data generation—advanced AI techniques with significant applications in systematic trading and research optimization.
The move represents a calculated talent acquisition by Two Sigma, a fund that has maintained early and sustained investment in AI capabilities. According to Mike Schuster, Two Sigma's AI core team lead, the fund deployed generative AI as early as five years prior to 2024 and has maintained natural language processing infrastructure for over a decade. Two Sigma initiated reinforcement learning research by at least 2021, demonstrating a consistent trajectory in advanced AI adoption that predates broader industry adoption curves. Delle Fave's reinforcement learning background positions him to deepen these capabilities across the platform.
Compensation structures underscore the intensity of competition for AI talent in alternative asset management. Two Sigma's London office reported wages and salaries of £377k ($507k) per employee head in its most recent annual accounts filed with Companies House—exceeding compensation levels at peer funds including Citadel and Brevan Howard. In the United States, Two Sigma offers AI researchers base salaries of $220k, demonstrating willingness to compete aggressively against technology companies for specialized talent. This recruitment follows Two Sigma's previous high-profile hires, including Mike Schuster from Google Brain and Alfred Spector, Goldman Sachs' first-ever chief data officer, signaling sustained investment in computational research infrastructure as quant funds consolidate advantages in systematic trading and portfolio optimization.
The move represents a calculated talent acquisition by Two Sigma, a fund that has maintained early and sustained investment in AI capabilities. According to Mike Schuster, Two Sigma's AI core team lead, the fund deployed generative AI as early as five years prior to 2024 and has maintained natural language processing infrastructure for over a decade. Two Sigma initiated reinforcement learning research by at least 2021, demonstrating a consistent trajectory in advanced AI adoption that predates broader industry adoption curves. Delle Fave's reinforcement learning background positions him to deepen these capabilities across the platform.
Compensation structures underscore the intensity of competition for AI talent in alternative asset management. Two Sigma's London office reported wages and salaries of £377k ($507k) per employee head in its most recent annual accounts filed with Companies House—exceeding compensation levels at peer funds including Citadel and Brevan Howard. In the United States, Two Sigma offers AI researchers base salaries of $220k, demonstrating willingness to compete aggressively against technology companies for specialized talent. This recruitment follows Two Sigma's previous high-profile hires, including Mike Schuster from Google Brain and Alfred Spector, Goldman Sachs' first-ever chief data officer, signaling sustained investment in computational research infrastructure as quant funds consolidate advantages in systematic trading and portfolio optimization.
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