Meet Dr. Jiajie Xiao, Wake Forest Physics PhD program class of 2018. Dr. Xiao now works as a machine learning scientist in the biomedical field. In the following interview with Professor Fred Salsbury, Dr. Xiao reflects upon his time at Wake Forest and how the skills he learned helped him in his career.

Prof. Salsbury: What are you doing now career-wise?

Dr. Xiao: I am currently a Staff Machine Learning Scientist at Freenome, where I focus on machine learning research for the development of blood-based early cancer diagnosis. 

Prof. Salsbury: What did you do right out of Wake Forest?

Dr. Xiao: After graduating from Wake Forest, I worked as an AI/ML engineer at GSK.AI. During my time there, I worked on a range of therapeutic problems.

Prof. Salsbury: How did Wake Forest Physics help you get where you are today?

Dr. Xiao: Wake Forest Physicist helped me develop my problem-solving and research skills. My education in physics allows me to approach challenges from first principles. The rigorous research training honed my capacity to learn new things and solve problems swiftly. 

Prof. Salsbury: Do you have an anecdote you would care to share either from your time at Wake Forest physics or from afterward relevant to Wake Physics?

Dr. Xiao: The biophysics research at Wake Forest Physics equipped me with helpful familiarity and insights into cutting-edge drug discovery pipelines. These insights proved to be incredibly valuable when I later worked in the pharmaceutical industry, as I could see how dots connected in real-world applications.

Prof. Salsbury: Is there anything you would like to share with prospective or current students?

Dr. Xiao: Both depth and breadth may be significant.  A PhD student usually goes really deep into something. While having in-depth knowledge is the foundation for innovation that makes you stand out, having enough breadth is also important to ensure you can find what breakthrough to make. 

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