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Ph.D. Student Profile: Zoë Gray
Zoë Gray
Hometown
San Diego, CA
Education
Ph.D. in Data Science Student, University of Virginia
B.S. in Math, Minor in Japanese 2023, California Polytechnic State University San Luis Obispo
Q: When and how did you become interested in data science?
I became aware of data science after completing a summer research internship in the field of statistics and also with the rise of ChatGPT and other artificial intelligence (AI) tools. I became interested in studying data science because I wanted to understand the technology that was beginning to emerge and change our daily lives.
Q: Choosing a doctoral program is a big decision. Why did you choose UVA's Ph.D. in Data Science?
I chose UVA's program since it was unique in its focus on data science, rather than just one or two professors doing data science in a more general department. I also met so many kind and helpful people on my interview day and felt that I would be happy here!
Q: What areas of research interest you and why?
I find deep learning (and maybe more specifically, computer vision) to be an exciting field of research. There are so many applications for deep learning technology and the field is at an exciting point where major achievements are being made but there is yet to be a rigorous theoretical backing to these successes, and I am curious to see how that develops.
Q: What do you hope to do with your data science degree?
Part of what I find exciting about data science is that it has so many applications and that it is constantly evolving at a quick pace. I don't know what the future of data science looks like, but I hope to be able to apply my skills to projects that help improve the quality of life for people and solve important problems.
Q: What advice would you give to prospective students considering a Ph.D. in Data Science? What do you wish you had known before starting?
Data science is so broad and requires knowledge of many fields such as math, statistics, computer science, ethics, and more. This is great, but can also make you, as a student, feel like you never know enough.
From my experience, you just need to keep learning what you can and eventually things will start coming together and you will make interesting connections within your knowledge base. It can be overwhelming but just keep chipping away at it!
Q: What are your initial impressions of the school, faculty, and other students? What are you most excited about and what challenges do you anticipate?
My initial impression of the school and community here is that everyone is invested in the success and well-being of the School of Data Science and its community. Since the school is so new, it feels like a community effort and that is special. I'm most excited about meeting new cohorts of students and seeing what we all end up researching!
Q: What is a fun fact about yourself?
I'm interested in learning languages and have spent time learning Spanish and Japanese! (Though I haven't practiced much recently...)
