Mi

Li

Economics student Mi Li likes a subject with substance. A graduate student in economics, he's able to apply his passion for mathematics and statistics to tackle real-world problems.

"I don't like dealing strictly with numbers - there's no meat there. With economics, you're applying this knowledge to serve a purpose - you have substance, you have meat."

And this "meaty discipline" can be applied through a flurry of fields. Li emphasizes the value of economics in biology, physics, and psychology, to name a few. As an example, he describes how a knowledge of statistics and growth patterns was recently used to accelerate the evolution of DNA and see what a cell would look like in 200 million years.

He himself would eventually like to apply his talents in health care and explains that at a time when the field is being bombarded with financial questions, particularly with regards to the supports needed for the aging population, the health industry is in dire need of economists.

Another area of interest which he's currently pursuing is the enabling of data to speak for itself. Li explains how companies are currently able to manipulate data with ease to serve their own interests and essentially lie to customers. Using a set of techniques called co-integrated variables, Li aspires to eventually develop a model which would enable data to be controlled, thereby generating pure and unbiased information to consumers.

In addition to these research interests, Li passionately keeps up-to-date with the latest news in his field and enjoys discussing current economic affairs with his professors. He says that these conversations on issues of interest like Canada's financial crisis and the national tax system are not only frequent but insightful and stimulating.

"These are issues you often can't solely learn about from a textbook, especially if they're very recent. Our supervisors dedicate a lot of time not only to support us in our studies but also to explore current events around the world."