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[People of UIC] Xiao Jiacheng: Journey to full-scholarship PhD in Edinburgh

Published on 29 November 2023

Xiao Jiacheng is a UIC student from the class of 2015 of the Applied Economics Programme. After graduating from the University of Edinburgh with a master's and a doctoral degree in Economics, he is employed by the Alibaba Group as a Data Scientist.

Xiao Jiacheng

Xiao chose UIC for its international education environment. During the four years, he not only laid a solid foundation in expert knowledge and gained excellent grades but also acquired comprehensive English skills, which supported him greatly in his master's study.

Graduated with a Distinction with an impressive grade ranked in the top 10% of his major, he was offered an opportunity to apply for the PhD by the School of Economics, UCL, and he accepted it without hesitation and received a full scholarship.

Xiao Jiacheng has travelled a lot when in Edinburgh

For Xiao, the PhD was not easy. He said one should figure out whether this path suits them and whether they can endure loneliness. According to him, the biggest challenge of his doctoral studies was getting a sense of achievement when burdened by dreary scientific work all day.

Fortunately, he had found a way to release pressure. During his PhD studies, he worked as a teaching assistant for the economics course for four years and also served as a Head Tutor for related subjects. By instructing students, he absorbed the expertise better and received positive feedback from them. As a result, he was awarded the University of Edinburgh's Best Teaching Assistant Award for two consecutive years for his outstanding performance.

Currently, Xiao is employed by the Alibaba Group and believes that the vast amount of data in the Internet industry will enhance his abilities in data analysis.

As for his spare time, he said that thanks to UIC's liberal arts education, he could explore his interests and embrace the diversity of life by participating in various activities, including the frisbee and rugby courses. He still maintains his exercise habits and continues to learn new sports like land sprinting and paddle boarding, trying everything and adding more colours to his life.