Meet KAUST new student: Qilong Pan

About

By Taruna Rapaka

Qilong Pan is a statistics graduate who joined KAUST in June 2021 from the Wuhan University of Technology, China. Pan is a M.S./Ph.D. student and member of the Environmental Statistics research group under the supervision of Professor Ying Sun.

What was your main subject during your undergraduate degree? Why did you choose it?

Statistics played a vital role in my major during my undergraduate degree. The phrase “data speaks everything” illustrates the reason why I chose statistics. Specifically, I believe the 21st century is the century of data, and statistics is an exact subject born for data.

When did your interest in statistics arise? What are your research interests?

My interest in statistics gradually developed with many courses, learning and real-life academic training.

My current research interests lie in Spatio-temporal statistics and deep learning.

What do you do in your spare time?

I play basketball and football; I particularly like these two sports because they allow me to communicate with others and develop my teamwork skills. I also enjoy swimming and exercising in my spare time.

What is your future outlook?

I want to be an excellent scientist in the future. 

Can you give a piece of advice to students who plan to pursue a M.S./Ph.D. at KAUST?

As an undergraduate, you should have a general idea of which area you would like to pursue. Additionally, you should have ways of relaxing beyond your work and study. That is to say, the balance between life and work is crucial.