Supporting Intelligence at Its Foundations
Some problems cannot be solved by scale alone.
They require patience. Mathematical rigor. A willingness to sit with uncertainty and ask better questions about how intelligence actually works.
Jump Trading is partnering with University College London’s Gatsby Computational Neuroscience Unit to fund four fully supported PhD scholarships beginning in the 2026–27 academic year. The program will support doctoral researchers working at the intersection of neuroscience, machine learning, and artificial intelligence.
The Gatsby Computational Neuroscience Unit is widely regarded as one of the world’s leading centers for theoretical and computational neuroscience. Its researchers study learning, representation, inference, and decision-making in biological and artificial systems. In 2024, two Nobel Prizes were awarded to scientists with strong ties to the Unit, underscoring its long-standing influence on the field.
For Jump, the partnership reflects a belief that understanding complex adaptive systems starts with fundamentals. Markets operate under uncertainty. Brains do too. Both process incomplete information. Both reward models that can separate signal from noise.
“We’re proud to launch this scholarship that represents our commitment to advancing transformative research at the intersection of neuroscience and AI,” said Alex Davies, Chief Technology Officer at Jump Trading. “We pride ourselves in supporting exceptional computational neuroscience talent pursuing deep, ambitious work that will shape the future. By fostering rigorous interdisciplinary research and education, we aim to accelerate scientific breakthroughs that emerge when these fields converge.”
The scholarships provide full financial support, including tuition, stipend, funding for travel and international collaboration, and visa costs where required. The first scholars will begin in autumn 2026. By removing financial barriers, the program enables researchers to focus on ambitious, high-impact work from day one.
“The Gatsby Unit has a long tradition of cultivating a pipeline of researchers contributing to global advances in AI and brain science,” said Professor Maneesh Sahani, Director of the Gatsby Unit. “The Jump scholarships will play a key role in enabling us to continue this mission over the coming years, and will ensure that we are able to recruit from the very best candidates globally. I look forward to following the Jump scholars’ work as it develops.”
“We are grateful to Jump Trading for partnering with UCL and making this farsighted investment in research talent development,” said Angharad Milenkovic, UCL Vice-President (Advancement). “There is a strong alignment between Jump Trading and UCL’s commitment to rigorous research, innovation and impact. This gift will enable four talented research students to commit themselves to these goals.”
This partnership builds on the Jump Trading Fellowships established in 2025 and reflects a long-term commitment to advancing research across mathematics, physics, computer science, AI, and the sciences.
The hardest problems rarely yield quick answers. They require rigor, independence, and people willing to work at the edge of understanding. That is the work this partnership is designed to support.
Learn more about the partnership: https://www.ucl.ac.uk/giving/stories/2026/feb/jump-trading-supports-next-generation-computational-neuroscience-talent-ucl
Contact [email protected] with questions.
These statements are for informational purposes only and do not constitute an offer to sell, a solicitation of an offer to buy, or a recommendation of any security, investment product, or investment strategy, nor do they constitute investment, legal, tax, or other professional advice. The views expressed in these statements represent the opinions of the authors and Jump Trading. Forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties, and references to specific companies and their capabilities do not constitute investment recommendations or guarantee future performance.
