Maxwell Hanks

Brisbane, AU · BMath ’27 · The University of Queensland

Math AI student
at UQ.

I’m Maxwell - a second-year Bachelor of Mathematics (Mathematical AI + Computer Science) student at UQ. I build projects across statistical machine learning, finance, and mathematical modelling, and read the wonderful literature behind them for fun.

Reading: Reliability and Risk - A Bayesian Perspective

161 / 394
Susquehanna Algothon ’26 — market-neutral stat-arb strategy
6.25 / 7.00
cumulative GPA (83 WAM)
250+ hrs
teaching mathematics to high-school students

Projects

Selected work

Three quantitative projects, each validated out-of-sample. Code on GitHub.

2026 · Pythonstatistical arbitrage

Susquehanna Algothon ’26 — market-neutral stat-arb

161/394
final placing
51
instruments traded
OU
spread dynamics

Selected cointegrated pairs offline via Engle–Granger and ADF stationarity testing, modelled mean-reverting spreads as Ornstein–Uhlenbeck processes, and hedged residual exposure against the index. Volatility-scaled sizing; validated by walk-forward backtesting on unseen data.

cointegrationADF / Engle–Grangerwalk-forwardvol targeting
2026 · Python, MATLAB

Optimal execution via HJB & neural networks

ε-opt
validated vs dynamic programming

Formulated liquidation as continuous-time stochastic control, solved the linear-quadratic benchmark analytically, and extended to nonlinear market impact with neural-network approximation. (Still a work in progress :D)

stochastic controlHJBneural nets
2026 · Python, NumPy, Pandas

Barra-style multi-factor equity risk model

94
stock universe
6
style factors

Daily factor returns via cross-sectional WLS; EWMA/Newey–West factor covariance with PSD enforcement and shrunk specific risk. Euler risk decomposition and walk-forward volatility-forecast validation.

factor modelscovariance estimationrisk decomposition

About

About myself

I’m studying a Bachelor of Mathematics at UQ, majoring in Mathematical Artificial Intelligence with a minor in Computer Science. My coursework centres on statistical machine learning, financial mathematics, programming, and optimisation.

Outside lectures I design and build projects that bridge data science, machine learning, and mathematical modelling — and I keep a running stack of maths journals and books on the go.

Aside from my studies in mathematics, I have a passion for music performance and composition, including playing piano and percussion in pit bands, symphony orchestras, and other ensembles!

Education

Bachelor of Mathematics

The University of Queensland — Mathematical Artificial Intelligence (Major), Computer Science (Minor)

2026 – 2027
Algorithms & Data StructuresDeep LearningObject-Oriented ProgrammingStatistical Inference

Experience

Teaching the maths I love

Connect Presenter

Connect Education — Brisbane, QLD

2026 – now
  • Deliver targeted exam-preparation workshops, using IA/EA data to tailor content and close knowledge gaps.
  • Guide students through past exam questions to build exam technique aligned with QCAA criteria.

Academic Tutor

Private · All Access Education · KIS Academics — hybrid

2025 – now
  • 250+ hours tutoring high-school students across Australian curricula: study skills, exam prep, assignment planning.

Skills

Toolkit

Languages

PythonJavaC / C++RMATLABJavaScriptLuaHTML/CSS

Tools

NumPy / PandasTensorFlowJAXJupyterGit / GitHubLaTeXLinuxVim

Focus areas

statistical modellingprobability & stochasticsoptimisationAI / MLDSAOOP

Reading

The bookshelf

The current collection! Skim through it iPod-classic style.

Cover of The Elements of Statistical Learning by Hastie, Tibshirani and Friedman
Cover of Stochastic Differential Equations by Øksendal
Cover of Numerical Methods for Finance edited by Appleby, Edelman and Miller
Cover of Bayesian Inference in Statistical Analysis by Box and Tiao
Cover of Reliability and Risk: A Bayesian Perspective by Singpurwalla
Cover of Stochastic Dynamics edited by Crauel and Gundlach
Cover of R for Data Science by Wickham and Grolemund
Cover of Measure Theory by Doob
Cover of Elementary Functional Analysis by MacCluer
Cover of Numerical Techniques for Stochastic Optimization edited by Ermoliev and Wets
Cover of Algorithmic Number Theory, ANTS-I proceedings, edited by Adleman and Huang
Cover of Applied Partial Differential Equations by Haberman
Cover of An Advanced Course in Probability and Stochastic Processes by Kroese and Botev
Cover of Data Science and Machine Learning: Mathematical and Statistical Methods by Kroese, Botev, Taimre and Vaisman

Music

Off the clock, on the beat

Rehearsals are the other place I practise pattern recognition.

Current ensemble

Brisbane Philharmonic Orchestra

Percussion, repertoire including Shostakovich 5 & Khachaturian Masquerade!

Current ensemble

Queensland Youth Symphony

Glockenspiel/Bells for Mahler 7! A long piece to say the least, but memorable!

Current ensemble

UQ Wind Symphony

Never a quiet day in UQWS, from slapsticks to brake drums, my ears are always in for a treat!