Her Story
About Yu (Demi)
I'm a research scientist at the National Laboratory of the Rockies, which is under the Department of Energy. I've been in this role for nearly a year since graduating with my PhD, and I've been working in the field of AI, machine learning, and large-scale data processing for over 6 years if I count my PhD program. During my PhD, I wasn't exactly sure whether I wanted to go into academia or industry, but after spending half a year in industry as an internship, I realized I'm more passionate about the freedom of research, which is why I decided to go this route. My typical day involves about half my time coding and developing machine learning pipelines for model development, 20% of my time in meetings catching up with program managers, principal investigators, and other postdocs to sync on project status, and the rest of my time reading papers, writing papers, thinking about proposals, and submitting proposals. It's kind of like a startup vibe to me - I need to come up with my own ideas while making sure everyone on my other projects is on the same page. I graduated as the top student from my university in China before coming to Tulane University in New Orleans for my PhD, and I've been fortunate to receive a best paper award from a top conference in my field that accepts less than 20% of submissions and only picks the top one as best paper.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Yu (Demi)
01What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
Instead of immediately knowing what you want, it would be easier to understand what you don't want. This advice has really helped me navigate my career decisions, especially when I was trying to figure out whether to go into academia or industry. By understanding what I didn't want through my internship experience in industry, I was able to realize that I was more passionate about the freedom of research, which led me to my current role.
02What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
We need to be heard. Lean in and make sure we're on the table for us. It's so important to have a voice and presence in this field, especially because women are often underrepresented. I was the only female PhD student in my cohort for over 3 years, and I've often been the only female in groups during my internships too. That's why I'm passionate about encouraging other young women to enter this field and why I participate in mentorship programs for STEAM and computer science.
03What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
Passion is the most important value to me in both my work and personal life. I want to really have that sense of passion in everything I do. That's what drove me to choose research over industry - I realized I was more passionate about the freedom of research. It's also what drives my love for music, especially jazz, which is actually why I ended up choosing New Orleans for my PhD. Having that passion and enthusiasm is what keeps me motivated and engaged.
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