Financial Engineering · Econometrics · Risk

Hannah
Attar

Financial engineer and econometrician drawn to rare events, regime breaks, and the limits of inference — where modeling, judgment, and mathematical humility become inseparable.

ProgramMS Financial Engineering
UniversityUSC Viterbi
LocationLos Angeles, CA
Hannah Attar
01

About

I am a financial engineer and econometrician interested in situations where markets stop behaving in the ways our models assume they should. I am drawn to rare events and regime breaks, where the data becomes thin, the structure becomes latent, and we are forced to confront the limits of inference itself.

What interests me most in these settings is not only estimation, but the more basic question of what can be inferred at all, and how much confidence any conclusion deserves when the underlying process may be changing as it is being observed. In that sense, my work is motivated by problems where modeling, judgment, and an awareness of the limits of mathematics and data all become inseparable.

Research Interests

Cross-Asset & Non-Obvious Correlations

Exploration of subtle relationships between market behavior and external variables — how these correlations form, decay, and re-emerge.

Risk, Uncertainty & Mitigation

How risk propagates through financial systems, how tail events emerge, and how disciplined positioning can manage exposure under stochastic dynamics.

Macroeconomic Regime Shifts

How macroeconomic forces and structural changes influence asset prices across time and market regimes.

02

Projects

Asset Pricing · Replication

Factor Momentum: Replication & Extension

Replicating Ehsani & Linnainmaa (2022) and Arnott et al. (2023). Constructs four equity factors from CRSP/Compustat using Fama-French methodology, tests factor autocorrelation, and builds time-series and cross-sectional factor momentum strategies with a PCA-based extension.

PythonFama-FrenchOLSPCAFactor ModelsMomentum
0.45
CSFM Sharpe
3.44
CSFM t-stat
0.97
UMD Corr w/ FF
Quantitative Research

Regime-Aware Model Risk Visualization

Regime-aware diagnostics for short-horizon equity signals. SPY daily direction probabilities from a logistic classifier evaluated out-of-sample using confidence binning and GMM-inferred market regimes.

PythonGMMLogistic RegressionProbability Calibration
0.552
OOS Accuracy
0.247
Brier Score
0.66
OOS Sharpe
Spatial Econometrics

Spatial Econometric Modeling of Housing Markets

Built spatial econometric models to evaluate housing prices using geographically clustered datasets and spatial lags, combining Stata and Python workflows for estimation, diagnostics, and validation.

StataPython2SLSSAR / GS2SLSGeospatial
0.891
0.363
RMSE
0.293
MAE
Development Economics

Institutions, Resources, and Development in the D.R.C.

An institutional and development-economics analysis of the DRC's resource paradox. Examines how governance failures, conflict, and financing constraints prevent resource wealth from translating into growth.

Political EconomyInstitutionsResource EconomicsEconomic History
Book Cover
Book Manuscript

Probability & Stochastic Processes

A structured, concept-driven reference that develops core probability and stochastic process ideas within a single coherent framework. Emphasizes clarity of structure and continuity across topics, combining rigorous definitions with concise intuition and original computational visualizations.

03

Experience

Sep — Dec 2024

Investment Analyst Intern

Galliott Capital Advisors
Beverly Hills, CA
  • Authored a 30-page due diligence report on a seed-stage startup raising $2M, directly informing internal investment decisions
  • Built DCF and ARIMA models in Excel and Python, benchmarking public comps to project revenue growth for a $3–5M follow-on round
  • Profiled 700+ VC/PE buyers via PitchBook, narrowing to 2–3 strategic partners for a potential acquisition
  • Sponsored 10+ startup pitch meetings by presenting KPI assessments and model insights
Jun 2023 — Aug 2024

Summer Junior Accountant

Courtesy Electric Wholesale
Pasadena, CA
  • Analyzed inventory and sales data in Excel to adjust pricing based on margins, supply trends, and competitor benchmarks
  • Managed accounts receivable/payable in QuickBooks, ensuring accurate cash flow and recordkeeping
  • Processed invoices and expense reports to streamline vendor payments and improve operational efficiency
Jan 2023 — May 2024

Freelance Academic Consultant

Self-Employed
San Francisco, CA
  • Tutored 10+ undergraduates in Economics, Econometrics, Finance, and English, improving performance across semesters
  • Provided end-to-end support on an Econometrics capstone, enabling on-time degree completion
  • Edited and structured 15+ academic essays to strengthen clarity, analysis, and academic voice

Quantitative Finance

  • Probability & Real Analysis
  • Stochastic Processes & Itô Calculus
  • Time Series Forecasting
  • Optimization Methods
  • Derivatives Pricing

Machine Learning

  • Supervised & Unsupervised Learning
  • Reinforcement Learning
  • Feature Engineering
  • Probabilistic Modeling

Tools & Languages

  • Python (NumPy, pandas, scikit-learn, statsmodels)
  • Excel & Financial Modeling
  • Stata
  • LaTeX for Technical Writing
04

Education

Master's Degree

University of Southern California

MS in Financial Engineering · Viterbi School
Jan 2025 — May 2026 (Expected)
CourseworkOptimization, Probability, Stochastic Processes, Derivatives Pricing, Machine Learning, Numerical Methods, Mortgages & MBS
Bachelor's Degree

University of San Francisco

BS in Economics · Minor in English Literature
Aug 2021 — May 2024
CourseworkCalculus I & II, Linear Algebra & Probability, Financial & Applied Econometrics, Micro & Macroeconomics, Statistics, Development Economics
Get in Touch

Let's talk markets,
models, and research.