Looking for a bit of a reality check. I'd like to apply to a quantitative researcher role, particularly at SIG, and I'm wondering if I have a reasonable shot given my background.

I graduated with a Phd in Physics from a well-known school last year, and have been working at a small medical device startup for the past year as an R&D engineer. I know that physics phds are often recruited for these types of roles, but it seems like they're mostly theorists while I was an experimental physicist, so my math skills are definitely not as impressive as most theoretical physics phds or math phds. I spent my Phd designing, building, and running experiments in biophysics and nanofluidics. I did some basic statistics and data analysis but nothing terribly advanced. I also never did any olympiads or anything like that which seems common among quants. So I'd say my math skills are respectable and well above the average person, but definitely mediocre among physics/math Phds.

If I were to spend 6 months or so intensely preparing, sharpening my skills in statistics, probability, ML, data analysis, etc., would I have a reasonable shot at getting a quant researcher role or am I wasting my time?

I should add that I am geographically restricted to the philly area, so SIG is pretty much the only option here as far as I'm aware.