Shufan Wang
The University of Adelaide
I am currently an undergraduate student at University of Adelaide, studying in an honours degree in mathematical sciences. I have strong interests in explaining the “black-box” models and now I am doing research in model explainability, in the context of financial credit default.
1. Can you give me a quick rundown about the type of mathematics you are studying and its potential impacts for the broader community (think how you would explain your work and studies to others who don’t study maths)
I am majoring in statistics, which helps us find a pattern from abundant data. My honours research topic is model explainability. It reveals how a complex model (e.g. Neural network, XGBoosting) works to some extent.
2. How did you get into mathematics/statistics/data science? Was there someone or something that inspired you to this field?
I always got good grades in maths in my high school. In the first two years of my university study, I tried some entry-level courses across pure math, applied math and statistics, and I ended up having the most interest and achieving the highest performance in statistics.
3. You received a Travel Grant to attend AMSI Summer School 2024. How important was this in terms of your ability to attend, fully participate in the program and meet others studying in similar fields? Do you think it was an advantage to attend the program in-person?
To be honest, whether or not I receive a travel grant directly affects whether or not I attend summer school. I always prefer attending courses in person, because I will have more chances to communicate with lectures. Moreover, by attending this summer school offline, I made friends with people who shared my interests and got ideas on my PhD application.
4. What was the most valuable part of the program for you?
As for me, the lunch time lectures offered various interesting topics and knowledge from other fields.
5. In the long-term, what do you think are the benefits of having attended Summer School?
The communication I made with researchers provided the latest trends in machine learning and gave me a range of options for projects for PhD study.
6. Summer School included a special Careers Day program which aims to help give students an idea of the kinds of career paths available to maths graduates in industry and private sector research areas. Do you feel better equipped to explore career options in the mathematical sciences after attending AMSI Summer School?
Of course. Career Day demonstrated the importance Australia places on math students, and I saw plenty of opportunities for advancement in the industry.
7. What advice would you give to someone who is considering applying for Summer School in 2025? Should they apply and why?
I think it should depend on their own circumstances. If they won’t feel too stressed in acquiring difficult knowledge in a short period, and want to make friends with people who also enjoy maths, they are perfect to attend this summer school.
8. What are your current career ambitions in the mathematical sciences sector?
Currently, I am very interested in studying for a PhD. I am interested in model explainability and computer vision.
9. How did connecting with the community at AMSI Summer School support your experience?
The AMSI coordinator team is quite helpful and friendly. They helped me to figure out how to get credits for the course I took.