Information for Students

Research group

Current members

  • Jiaping Liu, PhD in Statistics
  • Rachel Lobay, PhD in Statistics
  • Xuan Li, PhD in Statstics
  • Justin Zhang, PhD in Statistics
  • Tina Lu, PhD in Statistics
  • Javier Martínez-Rodríguez, Research Scientist

Alumni

  • Sarah Masri, MSc in Statistics (UBC 2025)
  • Tom Tang, MSc in Statistics (co-supervised with Jiahua Chen, UBC 2025)
  • Christine Chuong, MSc in Statistics (UBC 2025)
  • Wakeel Adekunle Kasali, MSc in Statistics (co-supervised with Nancy Heckman, UBC 2025)
  • Tigana Runte, MSc in Statistics (UBC 2023)
  • Elvis Cai, MSc in Statistics (co-supervised with Paul Gustafson, UBC 2023)
  • William Laplante, MSc in Statistics (co-supervised with Ben Bloem-Reddy, UBC 2023)
  • Ken Mawer, NSERC USRA (UBC 2022)
  • Shuyi Tan, MSc in Statistics (UBC 2022)
  • Xiaoxuan Liang, MSc in Statistics (UBC 2022)
  • Wei Tang, MSc in Statistics (UBC 2022)
  • Lei Ding, PhD in Statistics (IUB 2020)
  • Haoran Liu, MSc in Statistics (IUB 2020)
  • Mackenzie Turner, CEW&T Emerging Scholars REU (IUB 2020)
  • Arash Khodadadi, MSc in Statistics (IUB 2018)
  • Michael McBride, BSc in Statistics (IUB 2018)
  • Jia Wang, MSc in Statistics (IUB 2017)

Applying to UBC Statistics or MDS Programs

I generally have no special powers when it comes to being admitted to MSc/PhD or MDS programs. At UBC, students are admitted to the department before choosing an advisor later in their program. If you are interested, I encourage you to consult the department website.

If you want to learn more, your best bet is to email the Graduate Admissions Officer.

Requesting letters of recommendation

I frequently get requests for letters of recommendation, and I’m happy to comply if I can provide useful information. However, unless we regularly interacted, my letter will not help a recruiter or admissions committee member. In these cases, I suggest asking someone else who can provide more detailed descriptions of your unique strengths.

If you are currently enrolled in class with me, and you would like a letter, I will ask that you attend office hours, ask questions, or in another way give me some information about yourself. Without such interaction, I cannot write a helpful letter.

In order for me to write, I will need at least two weeks notice before the first deadline.

  • A description of notable interactions we’ve had that I should highlight. This means personal interactions, not a description of the material you liked in my course.
  • If you have a preferred name as well as a given name, please list both. I need to be able to connect your email to your application and potentially to your Canvas profile.
  • A list of all positions to which you are applying along with deadlines for each.
  • A recent CV or resume that includes a list of courses taken in your major and an unofficial transcript.
  • A personal statement (likely the one you’re sending in one of the applications).

Public calendar