About ACU Research Institute

 

ACU Research Institute is an independent, early-stage research lab exploring the convergence of Attention, Consciousness, and Computation. We build AI-powered products, publish open research, and ship real systems at the frontier of intelligent agents.

This is a founder-led operation. Small team, high autonomy, equity-heavy. If you want structure and a 401k, this isn’t it. If you want to build things that don’t exist yet, keep reading.

 

Position Overview

 

We are building an RL-based trading agent grounded in original research. We need a Junior Business Analyst to serve as the human-in-the-loop – verifying that the agent’s behavior matches what an elite human trader would do, and documenting the evidence.

You don’t need to understand reinforcement learning or neural networks. You need to understand markets, look at trade data, and answer one question: “Is this thing trading like a pro, or is it fooling itself?”

Job Type: Full-time, Contract or Permanent

Location: Remote

 

Key Responsibilities

 

  • Audit the trading agent’s decisions against a defined rubric of elite trader behavior
  • Verify risk-adjusted performance metrics (Sharpe ratio, max drawdown, win rate)
  • Analyze whether the agent adapts its behavior across different market regimes (bull, bear, sideways)
  • Flag anomalies – trades that look irrational and need investigation
  • Document edge cases and build an evidence trail (annotated trade logs, charts, reports)
  • Cross-reference agent behavior against historical market context
  • Prepare performance reports for research publications and patent filings

 

Qualifications & Attributes

 

  • Degree in Finance, Economics, Business, or related field
  • Understanding of basic trading concepts – what a drawdown is, what Sharpe ratio means, what a regime shift looks like
  • Strong spreadsheet and data analysis skills (Excel, Google Sheets, or similar)
  • Ability to read a chart and tell a story about what happened
  • Attention to detail – you catch the thing that doesn’t look right
  • Self-directed – you don’t wait to be told what to investigate

 

Nice to Have

 

  • Experience with crypto markets (especially SOL, ETH)
  • Familiarity with Python or basic scripting for data analysis
  • Exposure to quantitative finance concepts (pairs trading, statistical arbitrage)
  • Interest in AI/ML – you don’t need to build it, but curiosity helps
  • Experience with data visualization tools (matplotlib, Tableau, etc.)

 

What We Offer

 

  • Work at the intersection of AI and finance on original research
  • Direct mentorship from a senior AI engineer
  • Flexible, remote-first environment
  • Equity participation for the right candidate
  • Your analysis will be cited in published research and patent filings

 

How to Apply

 

Send an email to davidkwokhochan@gmail.com with:

  1. A brief intro – who you are, what excites you
  2. Your experience with markets or financial analysis
  3. Why this role interests you

No cover letter templates. No corporate speak. Just be real.

 

Application Questions (pick one)

 

1) Look at a stock or crypto chart from the last month. What story does it tell? (Send us a screenshot with your analysis)

2) If an AI trading agent suddenly stopped trading for two days during a volatile market, is that a bug or a feature? Why?