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" I believe SFU offers an excellent environment for me to pursue advanced studies and deepen my understanding of statistical methods and their applications."
Jiawei Liu
Statistics master's student in the Faculty of Science
Tell us a little about yourself, including what inspires you to learn and continue in your chosen field
I am a graduate of the UBC combined major in computer science and statistics. Given the growing applications of machine learning in fields such as healthcare, finance, and robotics, I look forward to working in the realm of machine learning. Since many machine learning algorithms are grounded in statistical principles and methods, I am enthusiastic about pursuing advanced study in statistics to gain a deeper understanding of these methods and their practical applications to real-world problems.
Why did you choose to come to SFU?
SFU has one of the strongest Canadian graduate programs in statistics. I believe SFU offers an excellent environment for me to pursue advanced studies and deepen my understanding of statistical methods and their applications.
How would you describe your research or your program to a family member?
I'll be using statistical methods and algorithms to solve complex problems, which can be applied in various fields such as healthcare, finance, and robotics.
What three (3) keywords would you use to describe your research?
machine learning, statistical modelling, computational statistics
How have your courses, RA-ships, TA-ships, or non-academic school experiences contributed to your academic and/or professional development?
Outside the classroom, I was able to apply my knowledge through UBC Co-op. Most recently, I had the opportunity to work as a software engineer at Kardium, a Vancouver-based medical catheter device startup, where I contributed to an internal computer vision project. Recognizing the inefficiency in manually identifying content changes between design diagrams, I helped kickstart the development of a Python program using Sikuli and the OpenCV library. This tool streamlined the analysis process, enabling faster and more accurate identification of diagram content changes. This experience has enhanced my programming skills and deepened my appreciation for the applications of machine learning.
Have you been the recipient of any major or donor-funded awards? If so, please tell us which ones and a little about how the awards have impacted your studies and/or research
I am honored to have received the British Columbia Graduate Scholarship Award for my graduate studies.