Data Science graduate of 2021

“My decision to enrol at the University of Auckland was influenced by a lecturer I met from there while working towards my Bachelor degree at Southwest University.

"I was also awarded the Dean’s Southwest University Joint Programme Scholarship which helped with tuition fees. This was also very exciting for my parents.

“My degree covered statistics and computer science. This aligned well with Data Science which is also a popular subject, so I felt confident it was a sensible choice with good prospects.

“My Masters research topic focussed on Multi-agent Reinforcement Learning. A Multi-agent system is an environment in which many agents can play and interact with each other. If you imagine a video game with many AI-players, we use a Multi-agent system to model problems and Reinforcement Learning to train the agents in the systems.

“Studying abroad, I found myself in a very different environment to what I was used to, with unfamiliar systems and processes. Because of this, I often received help from the Student Support Adviser. It was really valuable to know they were there if I needed guidance. They were able to advise me if I was unsure of a process or what I needed to do.

“During my time at the University I found the classes were really satisfying and the lecturers very fast to respond to any questions. My supervisor was very kind and really great to work with.

“Completing the Masters programme equipped me with essential knowledge of how statistic and computer science can be combined to analyse the data. It also inspired me to pursue a PhD. I have applied to complete this with the University of Auckland where I hope to continue my research in the Multi-agent Reinforcement Learning domain.”