Ph.D. Student Profile: Jason Wang

Jason Wang

Education
Ph.D. in Data Science Candidate, University of Virginia
M.S. in Data Science 2022, University of Virginia
B.S. in Statistics 2021, University of Virginia

Hometown
Fairfax, Virginia

Q: When and why did you become interested in Data Science? 
During my third year at UVA, I found out about AlphaGo and wanted to learn more about how it worked. I was a statistics major so many of the concepts overlapped and I was able to venture into the world of machine learning and AI. I was really blown away with the potential of the technology and have been trying to learn as much as I can since!

Q: When choosing a doctoral program, why did you decide on UVA’s Ph.D. in Data Science? 
This is currently my 6th year in Charlottesville, so I was already comfortable and familiar with UVA. When they mentioned that a PhD program was going to be created during my masters, there was nothing else that I wanted to do!

Q: What research do you hope to pursue? 
In high school, my friends and I would compare our tennis strokes to professionals like Federer. I would love to use computer vision to understand how professional athletes move. I think many of the insights can help amateur players like myself get better as well as reduce the risk of injuries. 

Q: What has been your favorite class so far and why? 
I loved the Deep Learning class with Professor Baek. I was really interested in all the topics in the class and it felt like it was almost tailor-made for me. The coolest part was that we were referencing papers published literally months ago. Goes to show how fast the field is moving.

Q: What would you say to someone considering a Ph.D. in Data Science? 
I would recommend trying out as many things as possible and finding what you are really interested in. It really helps, in the long run, to make sure you find a topic you love.

Q: What is a fun fact about yourself?
I love eating!