The journey started on September 27th, 2024, when, after a troubled adventure (Helene Hurricane caused I lost one international flight), I arrived in Lancaster from my homeland, Mexico.
The first activity in STOR-i was an amazing trip to the Lake District, where we had several team-building activities (I was expecting more outdoors) and an amazing kayaking trip in Windermere.
The next five weeks were intense with four lecture-style modules focus in the core of Statistics and Operational Research.
Afterwards, beginning in November, we had an exciting four weeks of Contemporary Sprints. Personally, I enjoyed to learn from several topics in a short period of time. Perhaps, it is the only time I felt really productive… The final task was to deliver a deeper research in one of the these topics, in my case, I wrote a report called A Study of Reinforcement Learning in Finance.
Until this point, I was continuing struggle to adapt to my new life. This amazing opportunity was combined with a critical point in my personal development. More or less, I try to do my best, in order to be happy not only with my academic career, but also with my life in general.
The new year 2025 was accompanied of several new activities: Industrial Problem Solving Days, final exams, research talks, presentations, a poster session, and so on. In summary, all that constitutes the academic life.
In particular, the research talks were our sample to know what are the main research areas in Lancaster; moreover, we should choose two topics for writing non-technical and technical report. This is the writing training in STOR-i. I enjoyed writing these reports, I called the non-technical one: The Dangerous Shadow of Uncertainty that I think it is enjoyable to read. On the other hand, my second report, that was more in the scientific article format was called: A Century of Extreme Value Theory, it is basically a journey in the development of extreme value theory, a subject for which Lancaster University is world-renowned.
Not less important, this year is the first one in which STOR-i offers a proper course for scientific and reproducible programming –coding is a way to relax from the other cluster of activities…
The MRes journey ended (unofficially) at the end of May 2025, where the PhD project allocation will be finally done. Therefore, this journey only finish in the beginning of a new adventure: A PhD project, and all the personal ingredients involved.
Hence, the most important part of this continuous journey –sometimes really rewarding, other times really tough– it is the personal development.
I am very happy of how much I learnt –maths, about myself, from other people– and the invaluable connections I hope to keep for the rest of my life. I recognize this experience as the most meaningful and challenging in my life so far. Then, as the MRes was the end of a beginning, I know this experience is a Before-and-After in my life.
MY (MAIN) MRES WORK
- A Study of Reinforcement Learning in Finance (Sprint Report)
- The Dangerous Shadow of Uncertainty (Report) (Presentation)
- A Century of Extreme Value Theory (Report)
