Spotlight on Data Science for Cultural Heritage MSc graduate Anping Zhang

Before starting the Data Science for Cultural Heritage MSc at UCL Institute for Sustainable Heritage Anping studied Mathematics at Imperial College London.

He graduated from the Data Science for Cultural Heritage MSc in 2020, and last year he started a PhD at Tsinghua University in China where he is researching deep learning theory and topological data analysis. His current research on optimizing volunteer behaviour in response to the COVID-19 pandemic has been published in the journal Humanities and Social Sciences Communications.

The MSc helped prepare him for future research and gave him the skills he needed for his PhD. He said:

“Dr Josep Grau-Bove and Dr Scott Orr are professional and patient supervisors. My research skills have improved from zero to one under their professional guidance, making my master’s life fulfilling and memorable.”

Whilst studying the MSc Anping worked as a student representative which helped to hone his communication skills and improved his college life.

His advice for future Data Science for Cultural Heritage MSc students and graduates would be:

“First, and most importantly, savour your time at University College London. For students interested in pursuing a future Ph.D. or another master’s degree, my advice would be to establish a strong foundation in your interest research area. Data Science for Cultural Heritage program would be a good choice because of its professional supervisors and a range of cross-discipline courses.”

We’d like to thank Anping for sharing his experience of studying Data Science for Cultural Heritage MSc and wish him well in his PhD.