Trainee Spotlight: Elena Burlova
Elena Burlova is a Visiting Scholar in the Chemistry department at UIUC and is working in Thrust 2 in the Denmark Lab. She joined MMLI in June 2022 to work as a research programmer and to do regression modeling for enantioselective catalysis. [Click above to read more!]
Staff Spotlight: Yifang Zhang
Yifang Zhang is a long-term Illini, and currently a data analyst at NCSA. He has been at UIUC since 2010 for CS undergraduate and graduate work. After graduation, he accepted a role at NCSA and has been working on data engineering, data modeling, large data parallel computing, data visualization, and software development. [Click above to read more!]
MMLI Trainee Spotlight: Let’s meet Elena Burlova!
Elena Burlova is a Visiting Scholar in the Chemistry department at UIUC and is working in Thrust 2 in the Denmark Lab. She joined MMLI in June 2022 to work as a research programmer and to do regression modeling for enantioselective catalysis.
What was your background before MMLI?
I have a BS degree from Bauman Moscow State Technical University with a major in computer science and applied mathematics. I worked as a backend software developer and beginner data scientist on a project focused on Cyrillic handwriting recognition.
What drew you to MMLI?
Word of mouth and curiosity. I find it inspiring to do cross-disciplinary research with my chemistry colleagues and learn from them. I want to apply my knowledge and experience to improve the drug development process, thus improving patients’ lives.
How do you like to spend your free time?
I like PC and board games. I enjoy bonding with nature in the local parks. When possible, I also go horse riding and hang out in the robotics club at my alma mater.
Fun fact (or extremely average fact) about yourself you would like to share:
After completing a high school science project, I asked my teacher whether it would be possible to do both chemistry and computer science. He wished me good luck in finding that.
MMLI Faculty Spotlight: Let’s meet Yifang Zhang!
Yifang Zhang is a long-term Illini, and currently a data analyst at NCSA. He has been with NCSA since finishing his graduate work at UIUC, and was recruited to MMLI by Matt Berry to work on projects such as the MMLI Data Ingestor Project (described below!).
What was your background before MMLI?
I am a long-term Illini. I have been at UIUC since 2010 for CS undergraduate and graduate. After graduation, I was accepted as a data analyst at NCSA. I have been working on data engineering, data modeling, large-data parallel computing, data visualization, and software development.
What drew you to MMLI?
I was invited by Matt Berry through my manager Xiaoxia Liao. It was a great experience to be here and I was able to learn a lot of knowledge about Chemistry.
Can you share a little bit about a current project you are excited about?
I am excited to share the MMLI Data Ingestor Project, it is a typical project for multidisciplinary collaboration that involves software development, data mining, data visualization, chemistry, and even some bioinformatics. The goal of the project is to create a central data storage space that is flexible enough to be able to present all different kinds of projects involved in MMLI. This requires close collaboration and a deep understanding of both Chemistry and Computer Science domain knowledge with explanations from experts. With the work in both fields, the final product will be really exciting to see.
What is your favorite part of being a part of MMLI?
The best part is the community, there is so much exciting research there in every seminar. I was able to meet new researchers and potential coworkers every time and it expanded my view enormously.
How do you like to spend your free time?
I am a Christian and a video gamer. I spent my weekends in church for worship and services. If I have time left, I will play a couple of old–school video games, such as the Diablo series and Heroes Might and Mighty.
Fun fact (or extremely average fact) about yourself you would like to share:
I used to apply for UIUC Computer Science because I thought programming was the only way can make me a video game designer.