Originally from Longyan in Fujian Province, China, Jiaying grew up loving math and logic and hoping to study these subjects further.

Jiaying studied Mathematics before transitioning to Statistics. She holds a Master's in Mathematics from Fudan University in Shanghai and a Bachelor's in Mathematics from Sun Yat-sen University in Guangzhou.

 

"The U.S. was my dream country to study in when I finished my master's degree," Jiaying said. "The main reason is that the U.S. is a multicultural and multiracial country. My mind was open to different thoughts and religions while insisting on my own. Another reason is that I want to have experience with hands-on projects. UK provides many of these opportunities because of the interdisciplinary cooperation."

 

Jiaying's research is about dimensional reduction - reducing the number of variables in order to better visualize and interpret data. She began work as an Assistant Professor of Statistics at Bentley University in Massachusetts in Fall 2019. "I got a lot of support from the department to go to conferences and to gain experience with teaching and research," Jiaying said. "All the professors are very supportive to help students to succeed in their future career. I appreciate their help and feel lucky to be here. That was a great experience for me. "

 

Jiaying has enjoyed her time in Lexington and says it's a friendly, comfortable and affordable place to live. "I really like this city - it's medium-sized, not too big, not too small. You can get everything you need in a 15-minute drive. I never feel lonely here. I have lots of precious friendships regardless of background. I am thankful that I have known so many wonderful people."