Wei Lai, CISE Industry Roundtable – October 20, 2017
Wei Lai, Senior Portfolio Engineer at Strategic Advisers, Inc. (SAI), spoke to CISE graduate students at the 1st Fall Semester 2017 Industry Roundtable. His PhD faculty advisor, Yannis Paschalidis, introduced him as a “gifted student who did much of his own work independently.”
Currently, Dr. Lai manages customized, tax-sensitive portfolios and separately managed accounts (SMAs) for individual clients and trusts. For him, SAI has a “strong, experienced, and dedicated team of financial planners” with approximately 250 employees in Boston alone. When asked what advice he could provide to students, he said that “it is vital to be proactive in educating ourselves even after graduation.” He believes in the necessity to keep his “mind open to new ideas, and grow with new knowledge continuously.” Lai stressed that fulfillment at work has to do with what is the value added. “For me, the client matters most and for every account, there is a name behind it. I need to know that my clients are taken care of. I also make sure that what I do is good for society.” This applies to all occupations and positions regardless of what direction is chosen in the professional world.
Dr. Lai earned his bachelor of science degree in automatic control as well as his master of science degree in systems engineering, from Huazhong University of Science and Technology. He also earned his PhD in systems engineering from Boston University. Additionally, Dr. Lai is a CFA® and a Chartered Alternative Investment Analyst (CAIA) charter holder.