Ray M. Yang

Born and raised in Jinan (济南), China, I moved to New Zealand at a young age and completed my education there. After high school at Avondale College in Auckland, I left the big city to study at the University of Otago in Dunedin. I spent five wonderful years on the South Island, graduating in 2017 with a Bachelor of Science with First Class Honors, majoring in Chemistry and Mathematics, and minoring in Physics. I then returned to Auckland to begin a PhD program in Theoretical Physics under Prof. Joachim Brand at the New Zealand Institute for Advanced Study, Massey University. My research focused on implementing the full configuration interaction quantum Monte Carlo (FCIQMC) method for bosonic quantum gases, which also introduced me to the modern programming language Julia and research software engineering. After another five rewarding years, including the challenging COVID-19 period, I completed my PhD and received the Dean’s List of Exceptional Doctoral Theses award.

In 2022, I moved to the United States for a postdoctoral position at Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri, working with Prof. Robert Wexler on developing a novel computational method called nested sampling. At WashU, I am actively involved in the Washington University Postdoc Society (WUPS), having served as a member of the Executive Council and Chair of the Networking and Wellness Committee. Recently, I was elected Vice President of WUPS and currently serve as the Chair of the Ad Hoc Finance and Resource Management Committee. As a postdoctoral researcher, I am dedicated to advancing our scientific projects and mentoring both undergraduate and graduate students in my group. As a community leader, I am committed to fostering a positive and supportive environment for all postdocs at WashU, which brings me great joy.