Lena Arai, PhD
Lena Arai, PhD

Lena Arai, PhD

Quantitative researcher + data scientist

I turn noisy financial, behavioral, and physiological data into validated models, useful decisions, and production research systems.

Greater Seattle Area · recruit@lenaar.ai · LinkedIn · GitHub

12+

Years across research and analytics

94%

Less data-preparation time

PhD

Economics and information systems

Selected work

Production research platform

Designed and built Helios Quantitative Research’s first governed PostgreSQL, Python, and AWS research platform. It consolidates millions of observations, refreshes in under 15 minutes, and cuts data-preparation time by 94% while making recurring analysis more reproducible.

Financial modeling and decision support

Built and evaluated forecasting, classification, and economic models using public and licensed financial data. The work combines disciplined backtesting, model validation, clear communication, and production-ready data systems.

Physiological synchrony and high-stakes trust

Peer-reviewed research using dynamic time warping and high-frequency physiological data to study cooperative behavior under high stakes. The work compares a novel similarity measure with an established benchmark and makes the data, evaluation, and limitations transparent.

Read the Frontiers article →

Capabilities

Financial modeling

Forecasting, time series, backtesting, economic data, investment research, and decision support.

Applied machine learning and statistics

Regression, XGBoost, neural networks, support vector machines, random forests, experiments, and model validation.

Research engineering

Python, SQL, PostgreSQL, AWS, automated pipelines, monitoring, and reproducible workflows.

Selected experience

Helios Quantitative Research

Associate VP, Research Operations & Analytics · Senior Research Analyst

Built the firm’s first production research platform, transformed fragile spreadsheet workflows into governed systems, developed investment and forecasting models, and translated technical results into recurring decision support for hundreds of financial advisors.

Center for Neuroeconomics Studies

Data Analyst · Research Associate · Lab Manager

Modeled high-frequency physiological and behavioral data, designed and analyzed experiments, managed research operations, and contributed to peer-reviewed work on trust and physiological synchrony.

Phillips, Fractor & Company

Data Scientist · Economist · Consultant

Built predictive and econometric models, automated complex data preparation and analysis, and produced defensible quantitative evidence for litigation and business decisions.

Education

Claremont Graduate University

PhD, Economics and Information Systems & Technology

MA, Economics

California State University, Northridge

BS, Finance · BA, Economics

About

I combine an economist’s research judgment with hands-on data science and production engineering. My work spans financial markets, behavioral research, and human physiology, but the through-line is consistent: frame the right question, build reliable data and models, test them honestly, and make the result useful to people making decisions.

Contact

I welcome conversations about forecasting, quantitative research, applied machine learning, and the data systems that make good research possible.

Email · LinkedIn · GitHub