Jeremy Chiu

Applied and Computational Mathematics | doctoral degree | Faculty of Science

Tell us a little about yourself, including what inspires you to learn and continue in your chosen field

After teaching mathematics at the tertiary level (at SFU and Langara College) for about 8 years, I thought that to make a broader impact on society / education, I should transition to leadership.  My research program focuses on operations research, and I have the opportunity to learn how public health agencies and clinics are run; I hope that I can apply my experiences here to help run a college.

Why did you choose to come to SFU?

I had an excellent experience during my undergraduate and graduate (MSc) studies, and so when I decided to pursue my PhD, SFU was a natural choice.

How would you describe your research or your program to a family member?

I use mathematical modelling, scientific computing, and machine learning / statistical methods to identify clinically-interesting cohorts.  To be relevant, the "interesting" cohorts are specified by clinicians and policy-makers who have a use-case in mind.  My role is to use quantitative techniques to help clinicians achieve their goals.

What three (3) keywords would you use to describe your research?

Healthcare operations research, mathematical modelling, machine learning

How have your courses, RA-ships, TA-ships, or non-academic school experiences contributed to your academic and/or professional development?

Courses: My courses in applied mathematics serve as a foundation for me to perform apply machine learning and statistical techniques to real data. 

Non-academic experiences: The 3-Minute Thesis was helpful for me to learn how to communicate my research to a broad audience.  Moreover, my success in the 3MT during my MSc gave me exposure to a wide audience; I also believe I was hired at Langara in part due to my performance in the 3MT.

Have you been the recipient of any major or donor-funded awards? If so, please tell us which ones and a little about how the awards have impacted your studies and/or research

The Langara Faculty Association granted me the Education Leave Scholarship, which paid me 80% of my annual income as an instructor at Langara College.  This jump started my PhD and allowed me to kickoff my program.

What have been the most valuable lessons you've learned along your graduate student journey (or in becoming a graduate student)?

As a mathematician, the healthcare system is quite foreign to me.  Moreover, a lot of research in healthcare often doesn't make it to implementation.  I learned that to help change clinical practice, it's paramount to involve all stakeholders and to obtain their buy-in / input  from the beginning.  This would make the research output far more likely to be implementable and sustainable.

How do you approach networking and building connections in and outside of your academic community?

I believe its good to 1) know your own goals and 2) listen to the goals and expertise of others.  Finding common goals and leveraging individual talent leads to meaningful connections where both parties can gain.

What are some tips for balancing your academic and personal life?

When I finished my Master's degree and worked for several years, I noticed that there are many opportunities available to students that I took for granted, such as conferences abroad and school clubs.  While I'm at school, I try to attend events that I enjoy, which lets me do non-math things while I'm on campus.

Contact: jjc30@sfu.ca

Additional Links

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