Organized by the Southern University of Science and Technology (SUSTech), the fifth Global Scientist Interdisciplinary Forum (The Forum) took place in Shenzhen from January 3 to January 5 in 2020. Over 300 outstanding young scholars from home and abroad attended the forum. With such a short history since its establishment, the Department of Statistics and Data Science (Department) successfully host the sub-forum, with 10 brilliant data scientists, out of 30 applicants, being invited to participant the 2-day event. The forum Opening ceremony started at 9:00am on January 4. Chaired by Vice President Yusheng Zhao, President Shiyi Chen gave the welcome speech with a brief overview of recent achievements in many aspects of SUSTech. Then, the Office of Research and the Office of Human Resources elaborated on the development of scientific research and on the innovative talent development models that have been implemented at SUSTech. Afterwards, Professor Tan Bin of the Chemistry Department and Didier Sornette, the Dean of the Institute of Risk Analysis, Prediction, and Management, enthusiastically shared their research experience in SUSTech.

In the afternoon, the sub-forum kicked off with more than 30 participants. Department Chair, Professor Qi-Man Shao first warmly welcomed all young researchers, and then presented recent developments of the department and the roadmap for its future expansion.

Department overview by Professor Shao

The speakers then shared their research work with the audience in a two-day conference. Invited presenters included Dr. Jing Xu from the University of Sydney, Dr. Yue Wang from University of Washington, Dr. Tianying Wang from Columbia University, Dr. Jin Jin from Johns Hopkins University, Dr. Xueou Wang from Singapore National University, Dr. Xiang Zhan from Pennsylvania State University, Dr. Mengjiao Peng from Purdue University, Dr. Xiyun Jiao from University College London, Dr. Yixuan Qiu from Carnegie Mellon University, and Dr. Helian Feng from Harvard University.

Presentations

After the presentation sessions, there was a cordial exchange opportunity for all participants to freely discuss interesting topics regarding university teaching and research. Before dinner, a tour was organized for visitors to explore the landscape of the campus which was full of beautiful sceneries.   All our guests appreciated our efforts in organization the forum and expressed their positive feelings with respect to the academic benefits of the entire event. This forum not only served as a promotion of the department, but also strengthened our effort to build our department as an international hub for future academic exchanges, and a potential home for talented young researchers.

Informal discussion session

Group Photo

Established in April 2019, the Department of Statistics and Data Science is currently the youngest department at SUSTech. Our aim is to cultivate top-notch talents with innovative ideas, breakthrough scientific contributions, and dedicated commitments to the development of SUSTech. The arrival of the era of big data has brought excellent opportunities, and we sincerely welcome all outstanding scholars from around the world to join us with the target to build a world-class department.