Mingfeng Lin teaches Business Data Preparation and Visualization (MGT 6655) in the Online Graduate Certificate in Business Analytics.
Who has had the greatest influence on your career path?
My Ph.D. advisor Professor Siva Viswanathan at the University of Maryland and my former colleague and collaborator, Professor Paulo Goes. They are both great at identifying important questions to ask in interesting contexts and are both excellent mentors
2. When did you start becoming interested in business analytics?
I’ve been working with data, big and small, since I was a graduate student.
3. Which issue in this field are you most passionate about?
The application of predictive analytics in financial technologies.
4. What is the biggest lesson that you've learned since you started teaching?
More expensive textbooks are not always better.
5. What advice do you have for your students to be successful in this program?
For my data visualization class, the best way to learn is to have a project idea you are passionate about — something you care about deeply and can find or gather data to analyze. That way, you will not only see the value of things we do in the class but also naturally find the motivation to go beyond what I have time to cover.
6. What would students be surprised to learn about you?
I did not know how to swim — did not even dare to try — until I was in college.
Learn More about the Business Analytics Graduate Certificate