Ziyu Chen is in his second year of study in the Master of Biostatistics program. His hometown is Jinan, Shandong, China. Ziyu earned his undergraduate degree in Environmental Science from Zhejiang University and Cornell University.
What first sparked your interest in biostatistics?
No matter what research field I work in, the essential step before representing findings is to process, analyze, and visualize the data.
What attracted you to the Master of Biostatistics program at Duke?
RTP (Research Triangle Park) is a vivid area to live in with a great number of opportunities. Duke is an undeniable option within this area. School of Medicine provides chances to work on health data.
What do you enjoy most about this program?
Plenty of course options. Abundant research opportunities.
What are some of your favorite classes?
Data science tools in Python, Bios 821
Intro to Stat Theory & Methods II, Bios704
Statistical Inference, Bios 906
What skills have you gained from the program?
Advanced R programming techniques, SQL, making interpretable consort diagram and Table1 for research.
What does the program do well?
Student support, chances to communicate with seniors in the different biostatistic fields.
What's the most challenging aspect of the program?
Time-management, working on multiple projects at the same time..
What advice do you have for incoming students?
Explore more and never limit yourself.
What type of work do you see yourself doing in the future?
Bioinformatics-related? Statistician? I don’t exactly know.
What do you like to do outside of work?
Explore nature in the area: hiking, kayak, fishing, canoeing. Basketball.