The UCLA Division of Physical Sciences is proud to announce that Jiayi Li, a Ph.D. candidate in the Department of Statistics and Data Science, has been selected as a recipient of the 2024 Dimitris N. Chorafas Foundation Prize, and $10,000 award. The Dimitris N. Chorafas Foundation Prize, evaluated by the Weizmann School of Science, honors researchers whose innovative work holds the potential to make a meaningful impact on society. This distinguished international award, presented to only 31 individuals globally this year, recognizes young researchers for their outstanding contributions to science, technology, engineering, and medicine, with an emphasis on work that advances knowledge and benefits humanity.
The award reflects Li’s commitment to pushing the boundaries of knowledge, especially in the area of mathematical machine learning. Li is also a recipient of the UCLA Dissertation Year Fellowship, an award granted to exceptional students approaching the final stage of their doctoral studies.
Li is the first student from UCLA’s Division of Physical Sciences and the UCLA Department of Statistics and Data Science to win the award since its inception in 1992. Her work exemplifies the power of mathematics, statistics, and data science to solve complex, real-world challenges, contributing to UCLA’s growing reputation for excellence in interdisciplinary research.
Li is also the Editor-in-Chief of the Association of Computing Machinery (ACM) XRDS Magazine, and is the first and only individual from the University of California system to hold that position. Committed to promoting diversity and inclusion within the data science community, Li has demonstrated exceptional leadership by initiating and organizing the Distinguished Women in Statistics and Data Science Workshop series at UCLA. These workshops have provided a platform to highlight the achievements of minorities in academia and industry, offering networking opportunities and fostering discussions around inclusivity and diversity.
“Receiving this award inspires me to push even further in my pursuit of important questions,” Li said. “The journey through my PhD has been challenging. I am deeply grateful to my mentors and friends from UCLA, IPAM, and other research programs I had the honor to be part of. I am especially grateful to my family and many faculty members in my home department, the Statistics and Data Science Department at UCLA, for their invaluable support along the way.”