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Finance whiz turns to science

David Shaw

Chief executive and chief scientist

D.E. Shaw & Co. and D.E. Shaw Research

David shaw showed Wall Street the power of mathematics. By using complex
algorithms on tiny stock market anomalies, he built one of the country's oldest
and largest hedge funds, a giant with 1,500 employees in 12 offices in North
America, Europe and Asia.

But Mr. Shaw's most important contribution may lie in the future. The
publicity–shy doctor of computer science has withdrawn from worldly affairs to
try to find a cure for cancer.

Forty of the world's top scientists work for Mr. Shaw in his midtown office.
Current projects include developing a supercomputer, Anton, to allow scientists
to observe structural changes in proteins. Another project, Desmond, offers a
computer code for pharmaceuticals that will be free for universities and
nonprofits.

The look and feel of both D.E. Shaw companies resemble academia more than
Wall Street. The employees' shambolic attitude belies the gravity of their work.
The companies are so committed to finding the best and brightest that they
employ 100 people in human resources.

Quants everywhere have their eyes on Mr. Shaw's work. “Finance is not a pure
form of science—truth is not that important,” says Ernest Chan, a quantitative
trading consultant who has worked at Morgan Stanley. “Computational biochemistry
research can be more fascinating and complex.”
- Joyce Hanson

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