Morgan Stanley just named a Wall Street legend as the head of a new group

The Rockefeller Foundation

Morgan Stanley has handed a Wall Street legend a new role as the head of a newly created council focused on quantitative research.

The US investment bank has named Martin L. Leibowitz, known as Marty, vice chairman of Morgan Stanley Research, and chair of a newly formed Research Quantitative Counci.

The bank council will be made up of "nine quantitative specialists" across different segments of the investment bank, according to an internal memo announcing the appointments.

"The nine members of the Council below are either engaged actively with quantitative clients or Ph.D. level quantitative researchers," according to the memo.

The group will be tasked with ensuring "alignment between client demands and our quantitative research product," the internal memo said.

"It will also work to enhance the work of our fundamental strategists and analysts, and increase the overall effectiveness of the Department," the memo added.

Leibowitz joined Morgan Stanley in 2004 and currently leads a team that produces research on asset allocation, equity valuation, and a number of other areas. Before he joined Morgan Stanley, Leibowitz worked at TIAA, the retirement provider, as the firm's vice chairman and chief investment officer.

In 2015, Leibowitz was named "Financial Engineer of the Year" by the International Association for Quantitative Finance. He has also penned over a hundred articles and several books including "Inside the Yield Book," which according to an internal memo is a staple in the bond field.

"He is one of the very few recipients of three of the CFA Institute's highest awards: the Nicholas Molodovsky Award in 1995, the James R. Vertin Award in 1998, and the Award for Professional Excellence in 2005," the memo said. "In November 1995, he became the first inductee into The Fixed Income Analyst Society's Hall of Fame."

The other members of the Research Quantitative Council are:

Elga Bartsch - Co-Head of Global Economics

Lancelot Comrie - Head of Systematic Alpha Service

Brian Hayes - Head of Equity Quantitative Research

Daniel Kenna - Managing Director, Prime Brokerage

Boris Lerner - Head of Quantitative Derivative Strategies U.S.

Stephen Penwell - Managing Director, Research

Andrew Sheets - Head of Cross Asset Strategy

Vishwanath Tirupattur - Head of Fixed Income Research, Americas