On the morning of November 5, Southeast University held the Consultation Conference on the Development of Statistics and Data Science Discipline at Jiulonghu Campus to promote the discipline’s high-quality development. Chaired by Zhiyuan Liu, Secretary of the School of Statistics and Data Science’s Party Branch, the conference gathered 11 invited experts from Renmin University of China, Nankai University and other institutions, as well as university leaders including Pan Liu (Executive Deputy Secretary of the University Party Committee), Jinde Cao (Academia Europaea Member) and Wenxie Yang (Director of the Development Planning Office).
With the theme “Data Empowerment, Advancing the Discipline Together,” the conference aimed to draw on the expertise of distinguished scholars, refine the discipline’s overall layout, clarify its research priorities, and improve its development plan. In his opening remarks, Prof. Zhiyuan Liu extended a warm welcome to the attending experts and guests and introduced the agenda and key topics of the meeting.
Pan Liu, Executive Deputy Secretary of the CPC Southeast University Committee,delivered a welcome address. He noted that Southeast University has long upheld a development philosophy of pursuing academic excellence while serving national needs. In this context, statistics serves as a vital bridge between frontier research and real-world application, and as an important pillar in the University’s interdisciplinary ecosystem spanning science, engineering, medicine, and the humanities. He emphasized that, in response to the rapid development of the digital economy and artificial intelligence, the University will continue to strengthen support for the discipline in resource allocation, interdisciplinary collaboration, and the translation of research into practice, with the goal of building the School into a first-class discipline with strong national influence and international visibility.
During the session on disciplinary development planning, Prof. Jiashun Jinfrom the School of Statistics and Data Science, delivered a thematic report on the School’s progress in discipline development, faculty development, research innovation, and industry–university–research collaboration. He noted that the School has established an integrated talent cultivation system spanning undergraduate, master’s, and doctoral education, and has developed core research directions in high-dimensional data analysis, causal inference, and biostatistics. Looking ahead, the School will continue to advance the “AI+X” interdisciplinary innovation framework in areas such as artificial intelligence, intelligent transportation, and financial technology, in alignment with China’s national strategy for becoming a data powerhouse.
In the academic showcase by young faculty members, Prof. Xinbing Kong, Prof. Shaogao Lv, Prof. Xiang Zhan, Prof. Zhibing He, Prof. Caixing Wang, Prof. Zhenggang Wang, Prof. Jun Zhang, and Prof. Yixuan Zhang presented their latest research achievements in areas including statistical inference, machine learning, spatial data analysis, and bioinformatics modeling. Their presentations, marked by originality, broad vision, and strong academic promise, fully demonstrated the vitality and potential of the School’s young scholars and were highly praised by the attending experts.
During the discussion session, experts and faculty members engaged in in-depth exchanges on topics such as disciplinary positioning, research directions, talent cultivation, and international collaboration. The lively and constructive discussions laid a solid foundation for the subsequent review session.
In the expert review session, distinguished scholars including Prof. Jianhua Guo, President of Beijing Technology and Business University; Prof. Zhaojun Wang, Dean of the School of Statistics and Data Science at Nankai University; Prof. Xiaojun Wang, Dean of the School of Statistics at Renmin University of China; Prof. Xuguang Song, Dean of the School of Statistics at Beijing Normal University; and Prof. Yong Zhou, Dean of the School of Statistics at East China Normal University offered forward-looking and constructive suggestions. Their comments focused on disciplinary positioning, faculty development, research breakthroughs, and the integration of industry, education, and research. The experts agreed that the School of Statistics and Data Science at Southeast University has a solid foundation and a clear development direction, and that it should further strengthen the integration of data science and artificial intelligence, build a high-level disciplinary system with distinctive Southeast University characteristics, and provide strong intellectual support for the development of China’s digital economy.
In his concluding remarks, Prof. Jiashun Jin expressed sincere gratitude to all the experts for their valuable suggestions and stated that the School would carefully review and implement them, further refine its development path, and continue to enhance its overall academic strength. Prof. Zhiyuan Liu noted that the conference was not only an academic gathering, but also a meaningful dialogue on ideas and strategy. He said the School would take this opportunity to deepen disciplinary integration, sharpen research priorities, improve its talent development system, and contribute to Southeast University’s Double First-Class development and China’s broader strategy for data-driven development.
The conference concluded successfully in a warm atmosphere. Participating experts agreed that the event was well focused, substantial in content, and fruitful in outcomes, providing a clear blueprint and renewed momentum for the high-quality development of statistics and data science at Southeast University.
