Evan Reynolds
Assistant Professor of Epidemiology and Biostatistics
Hometown:
Ann Arbor, Michigan.
Favorite Movie and/or musical group/singer:
I am an avid moviegoer. I am also a huge fan of comic book movies, particularly the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
Favorite thing to do outside of work when the laptop is closed for the day.
Outside of work, my favorite thing to do is spend time with my wife and two children. I particularly enjoy spending time outdoors, and spending summer days at the pool or lake.
What is the most interesting place you have visited?
I really enjoy visiting new places and learning about different cultures. In the US, my favorite places to visit are New Orleans and San Diego. The music and dining in New Orleans are incredible and beaches near San Diego are unmatched.
How did you become interested in your field? Was there a specific moment when you knew it was the right fit for you?
From a young age, I held a curiosity of how our world can be explained with numbers. As an undergraduate student at Michigan State University, I learned the fundamentals of applied statistics, and became interested in how statistics could be used to improve human health. While training as a graduate student, I had the opportunity to serve as a biostatistician on research projects that determined which metabolic risk factors increased the likelihood of diabetes complications onset in persons with diabetes and obesity. I found that applying and developing innovative statistical techniques had the opportunity to accelerate our ability to solve diabetes research questions using complex diabetes databases.
Describe your current research, area of interest or future plans?
The overarching goal of my work is to predict and prevent complication onset in individuals with type 2 diabetes through the use and development of novel and clinically interpretable statistical machine learning methods.
What is the best advice you’ve received?
It is critical to find high-quality mentors at every stage of your career.
What advice would you give to a student?
A lofty goal of graduate training is to find a passion. Therefore, the best advice I can give students is to explore the wide-ranging opportunities available at MSU. This includes exploring a number of research areas, and also going outside of what is comfortable, by taking challenging courses or learning a new skill.
What are you looking forward to being back at MSU?
I am so excited to return to East Lansing. I am most looking forward to meeting the students and immersing myself within the Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics community.