u/ChasingBackwards

I’m a PhD student and I recently scheduled my dissertation defense.

Originally, my defense was expected to happen around week N+3. However, after coordinating with the jury, I realized I could move it earlier to week N, which would allow the maximum number of jury members to attend in person instead of remotely.

This mattered a lot because one of the jurors is an international researcher from outside my country who is interested in collaborating with my lab. Having them physically present felt professionally important. Even with the earlier date, one juror would still already be attending remotely, so I wanted to avoid losing another in-person member.

Here’s the problem: my parents had planned a non-refundable trip during week N.

The issue is that I didn’t know that.

The last information I had from them was that they were traveling during weeks N+1 and N+2. One of my parents later needed to be back by week N+2, so they quietly shifted the trip earlier to weeks N and N+1. They never told me the dates changed.

At the same time, I never checked with them before finalizing the defense date change. I was mostly focused on committee logistics and getting as many jurors physically present as possible.

Now we’ve realized the conflict:

1. If I keep the current defense date, my parents will likely miss my defense.

2. If I move the defense later, the international juror will probably have to attend remotely instead of in person, and the overall jury setup becomes weaker academically/professionally.

The trip is non-refundable, but the defense is also difficult to coordinate because of multiple academics’ schedules (over 8 people confirmed attendance this week in person, whether as jurors, supervisors or important invited members). Furthermore, this decision defense date only confirmed 48h ago, and changing it so suddenly and so little after confirmation seems unprofessional.

My parents are upset at possibly missing the defense. I also feel frustrated because I made the scheduling decision for legitimate professional reasons and based on outdated travel information.

So WIBTA if I keep the current defense date and let my parents miss it?

EDIT: No one in the jury knows about this scheduling conflict with my parents. The date was chosen to maximize in person attendance.

EDIT2: They would lose around $500 if they changed the dates of the trip. I don't think they should.

Hi everyone,

I’m currently finishing up a PhD in Aerospace Engineering and starting to think seriously about career paths outside of the traditional aero/space industry. I’ve developed a strong interest in quantitative finance and I’m trying to understand how realistic a transition would be.

My research has involved a lot of signal processing and data analysis (time-series analysis, filtering, frequency domain methods, etc.), along with a solid mathematical background (linear algebra, probability, numerical methods). I also do a fair amount of programming (mostly Python, some MATLAB).

I’m based in Europe and would ideally be looking for opportunities within Europe, so any region-specific insights would be especially helpful.

From what I’ve read, some of these skills seem transferable to quant roles, but I’m unsure how big the gap is in practice, specially regarding things like stochastic calculus, financial modeling, and domain-specific knowledge.

So I’d really appreciate any insight on a few points:

How common is it for people to move from engineering (especially aerospace or similar fields) into quant finance?Which skills from my background are actually valued, and where would I likely fall short?

What would be the most efficient way to “bridge the gap” (self-study, specific courses, projects, etc.)?

Are there particular roles (e.g., quant research vs. trading vs. risk) that might be more accessible with my profile?

I’m open to being told this is unrealistic, but if it’s doable, I’d like to understand what it would take.

Thanks in advance for any advice!