Aunnika Short

I am a commercially minded finance professional and MBA candidate at INSEAD, combining rigorous analytical expertise with direct financial leadership experience.

As Financial

Director of a $1.5M endowment, I have led portfolio strategy, asset allocation, and performance oversight — demonstrating the financial acumen and strategic judgment required at a senior level. My current private equity internship has further sharpened my ability to build financial models, assess value drivers, and track market trends across complex transactions.

Underpinning my finance experience is an exceptionally strong quantitative background, developed through a DPhil from Oxford (completed in under three years) and advanced statistical work across large, multi-variable datasets. I bring the rare ability to translate complex analysis into clear, actionable insight — a natural fit for a position in strategy consulting.

Private Equity Intern at ARA Services Partners (2026-01 – Present)

• Tracked M&A activity, valuation multiples, and transaction trends in the architecture, engineering, and construction sector to construct benchmarks for value creation
• Built financial models, investment structure analyses, and sensitivity analyses to assess key value drivers for potential acquisition targets

Financial Director at Pierson Ranger Educational Foundation (2025-01 – Present)

• Manage a $1.5M USD endowment, directing portfolio strategy and investment oversight; reoriented allocation approach from return-focused to risk-adjusted to improve portfolio resilience
• Directed asset allocation decisions across investment categories; oversee ongoing performance monitoring and rebalancing
• Funded 60 scholarships supporting single mothers pursuing higher education across Bucks County

Doctoral Researcher / Visiting Researcher at Attention, Brain, and Cognitive Development Lab (2022-01 – Present)

• Managed a team of junior researchers, overseeing data collection, quality control, and project timelines across multiple concurrent studies
• Designed and executed advanced quantitative analyses including multi-level modelling, meta-analysis, and statistical modelling to evaluate behavioural patterns and outcome variability in early childhood development
• Producing academic articles for publication based on research into motor development in neurodiverse populations

Co-Instructor, Graduate-Level Child Studies at Vanderbilt University (2021-01 – 2022-12)

• Designed and delivered graduate-level curricula translating complex developmental theory into applied frameworks
• Led structured discussions and case-based learning focused on inclusion, policy impact, and outcome optimisation

Master of Business Administration – INSEAD (2025-08 – 2026-07)

Doctor of Philosophy in Experimental Psychology – University of Oxford (2022-10 – 2025-08)

Master of Education in Child Studies – Vanderbilt University (2020-07 – 2022-05)

Bachelor of Arts in Psychology and Social Behavior – University of California, Irvine (2017-09 – 2020-03)