We are delighted to welcome Ka-Kin to the group, who will be joining us as a Research Fellow in partnership with the Aberdeen Centre for Health Data Science.
Ka-Kin is 29 years old and holds a doctorate in Statistics with Data Science from the University of Leicester. He will be joining the group to work on the PACFiND and RHEUMAPS projects.
Tell us a bit about yourself
I am a Post-Doctoral Research Fellow situated across the Epidemiology department and the Aberdeen Centre for Health Data Science. Prior to this position, I completed an undergraduate degree in Mathematics and Actuarial Science and a PhD degree in Statistics with Data Science at the University of Leicester.
My previous research was about establishing new statistical methods for mortality modelling by longitudinal and functional data analysis.
I’m keen on extending the skill sets that I have learnt into a more broad field, and providing more accessible ways to interpret medical data for general audiences.
What will you be investigating in Aberdeen?
I am currently working with Professor Corri Black and Dr Rosemary Hollick on the PACFiND and RHEUMAPS projects. PACFiND aims to understand what happens to fibromyalgia patients during their health care journey and improve healthcare services for these patients. The RHEUMAPS project will investigate the prevalence and outcomes of rheumatic and musculoskeletal disease (RMD) in rural and urban areas with a longitudinal analysis of healthcare journeys and outcomes across a wide range of RMD conditions. I will undertake and be responsible for the data linkage works, data cleansing and statistical analyses of data among these two projects.
Why did you choose Aberdeen?
The University of Aberdeen is one of the most prestigious universities in the world for its multidisciplinary research. The research opportunities provided here exactly match my interests and allow me to apply my expertise in statistical modelling and inference for practical medical data. The projects which I am involved in Aberdeen will be very beneficial and meaningful to many patients with fibromyalgia, rheumatic and musculoskeletal diseases- helping them with better healthcare services and more timely diagnosis.
It is also my great pleasure to meet and work with many inspiring people and experts with lots of innovative ideas. The overall experience makes me feel like I made a great decision in choosing the University of Aberdeen.
Are you involved in any other research?
Yes, I am still involved in my previous research about establishing new statistical methods for longitudinal and functional data analysis from theoretical aspects. Some of my previous research papers are currently under review in academic journals, and some of them I will still need to revise and tidy up in my spare time. I hope the new statistical methods that I am working on will also be applicable for my current projects and can achieve better outcomes than traditional methods. I am also seeking any potential collaboration opportunities with other researchers from different backgrounds.
What do you enjoy doing outside of work?
I enjoy learning new languages (not programming languages though!). My dream is to be a polyglot one day so that I can travel to different places and experience their cultures and foods without relying on Google translate. I've been learning Japanese as my fourth spoken language for around five years and I’m looking forward to doing language or culture exchanges in Aberdeen. I also like jogging and swimming in the early morning to make myself well awake for the whole day.