Dr Ji-Eun Byun

My research area is system reliability engineering that develops probabilistic/risk methods applicable to generic system models from any discipline (e.g. transportation network and structural system). My research passion is to discover economies of scale arising from system complexity and uncertainty. For example, in a plant system where pipelines are connected in a complex toplogy, redundancy in system functionality can be exploited to make asset management more economical without compromising system reliability.

I hope to collaborate with researchers who have a deterministic simulation model and are concerned about presence of uncertainties (for example, in input variables) around the model. We can together set up possible decision scenarios to investigate, identify variables with uncertainty, and perform inferences to evaluate decision metrics. During the project, both disciplines will have an equal footing, and by the end, the supervised student will acquire expertise in both disciplines while learning how to communicate across disciplines. In my field, graduates are often hired in (if not in academia) (re)insurance companies, engineering consultancy companies, or risk software companies. In the case of the CDT programme, my supervision will aim for students to acquire expertise in both disciplines at a decent level and focus on one discipline more towards the end of their study, depending on their preference of future career.

As for EDI, as a foreigner in UK, I have firsthand empathy. As a South Korean, I grew up in South Korea and then after receiving my PhD degree, I lived in UK, Germany, and US. From these experiences, I have learned to sympathise with belonging to both the majority and the minor. My personal point of view is that enhancing EDI requires constant efforts from both parties. As now I belong to a minority group in Glasgow, I am keen on supporting students from minor ethnicity backgrounds, for which I believe my personal situation is advantageous.