Winfield Chen

  • MSc Statistics at Simon Fraser University from fall 2020 to spring 2022.
  • BSc Computing Science with Distinction at Simon Fraser University from fall 2017 to spring 2020.

  • Strategy & Innovation at Canoe Financial. I am a Data Scientist developing new financial data science and machine learning methods and systems since fall 2022.
  • The International Cooperation and Methodology Innovation Centre at Statistics Canada, a part of the Modern Statistical Methods and Data Science Branch in the Strategic Data Management, Methods and Analysis Field. I was a Junior Mathematician-Statistician developing new probabilistic record linkage methodology and software with Dr. Abel Dasylva from fall 2021 to summer 2022.
  • The Elliott Lab in the Department of Statistics and Actuarial Science at Simon Fraser University. I began as an undergraduate research assistant in the summer of 2019 and I received my master of science degree with Dr. Lloyd Elliott as my thesis supervisor in the field of statistical genetics.

  • Data Scientist at Canoe Financial, from fall 2022 to present.
  • Junior Mathematician-Statistician at Statistics Canada, from fall 2021 to summer 2022.
  • Research Assistant at SFU Department of Statistics and Actuarial Science, from summer 2019 to summer 2021 and spring 2022.

  • Bedi, I., Bugal, S., Chen, W. Finding coronavirus-resistant stock portfolios. Analytics Now 2019-2020, 79-98 (2021). Article
  • Chen, W., Xiangpeng, H., Sweeney, J. Linking Public Opinion to Direct Action: 2019 Hong Kong Protests. BC AI Student Showcase 1 (2019). Poster Event

  • I have an exploratory interest in cybersecurity and cryptography. I frequently participate in capture-the-flag (CTF) competitions and you can read my post-event writeups here. Selected writeups: UMassCTF 2021 SDCTF 2021 DCTF 2021.
  • I have a hobby interest in amateur software-defined radio. I won the inaugural Radio Resilience Competition under the name Team Meteor. This is an international online software-defined radio competition to create a new physical layer for wireless communications. The goal is to create a protocol which is as robust as possible when faced with hostile interference yet also maximizes packet throughput. My submission involved digital modulation and layered error-correcting codes and was inspired by the protocols used to communicate with weather satellites. Most people aren't aware that you can actually receive and decode transmissions from these satellites as they fly overhead with hobbyist equipment! During the 2020 western US wildfires I was able to decode the NOAA POES satellites (Animation) (Gallery) and the Meteor-M N2 satellite (hence the competition name Team Meteor) and observe the burn scars left by the fires. Eventually I aim to write a reception guide for aspiring hobbyists and release demodulation and decoding software. Demodulator prototype Screenshot
  • I continue to be interested in quantitative finance, although it is no longer a direction of research after my Analytics Now publication. I manage my own investment portfolio to partially compensate for the opportunity costs of being an academic and have a Bloomberg Market Concepts certification for the Bloomberg Terminal and finance background knowledge.
  • I have been featured as an award-winning researcher in a profile by SFU Graduate Studies and the Nature Neuroscience work in SFU Research and Nature News and Views.
  • My LinkedIn profile is here, my ORCID is 0000-0003-0400-444X and my email address is wca88 ( at ) sfu ( dot ) ca.