Computer Vision News - January 2021

Do you see yourself spending your entire career in academia? Yes! That is the plan so far. H ow did this young girl in China come all this way to becoming a professor in computer vision in Europe? What happened in the middle? I didn’t plan it when I was a little girl in China! [ laughs ] That is the magic of life! W hat was that little girl in China like? Me? Yeah! My hometown is in Heilongjiang, the really north region of China. It’s called Qiqihar. It’s close to Mongolia and Russia. It must be close to Manchuria. Howwas it growing up there? Was it a village? No, it’s a big city! My parents really encouraged me to study science, especially my father. I really liked mathematics and physics when I was a child. When I went to university, I chose computer science. It’s a good combination of different topics that interest me. That is the starting point of this European professorship. Wh at was your childhood dream? I wanted to be a doctor. I wanted to be a surgeon. I wanted to be different things! Also, at some point, I wanted to be a scientist. And now that you are a scientist, what is your new dream? First, I want to make highly impactful scientific work. That is the main goal of what I’m doing now. I want to publish papers but also to have good works that have an impact worldwide. Another part of my dream is to really help young students. I see a lot of talented young students, and I hope I can build an environment which helps them to pursue their scientific dreams. Find out 100 more interviews like this with Women in Science! 325 Siyu Tang