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About me

Hi there! My name is Yangkang Chen (陈旸康) (pronounce "Yahng kahng"). I'm currently a PhD student at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (UIUC), studying bird migration using data science approaches.






Research interests

My research interests are in avian migration, spatiotemporal ecology, evolution, and data science. I am interested in how environmental variability, species interactions, and social information shape migration decisions, and how those decisions scale up to broader patterns in phenology, distribution, and community dynamics. By integrating large and diverse data sources with statistical and machine learning methods, I hope to uncover ecological processes that are otherwise difficult to observe directly and to identify general principles of ecology in the era of big data.

I'm always open to collaborations at all stages of research. I'm also seeking undergraduate students who want to work on publishable bird migration + data science projects. Feel free to reach out!

I'm a current member of Van Doren Lab of Migration Biology: https://www.migrationbiology.org

Beyond research

I enjoy backpacking and hiking, especially to high altitude plateau in Western China (QTP, the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau) when I was an undergrad at Sichuan University. During my master's studies in Beijing, I enjoy watching stand-up comedy, playing guitar, going to live band performance, reading short novels, and sitting by the window of a cafe in a random weekend afternoon, thunderstorm outside, with a cup of Latte and start coding. You may also find me skipping my work and birding in the Olympic Park.

I believe in fairness, equity, justice, and respect for each person’s identity and dignity. I also respect the cultural values and identities people hold from their own backgrounds. I stand with those facing discrimination and unjust treatment.

"We only live once"