Short Course: Intro to Chat GPT with Linjun Zhang at JSM 2025

Instructor: Linjun Zhang, Rutgers University

Abstract: This short course introduces statisticians to the practical use of Generative AI tools (with focus on ChatGPT) to streamline and enhance the academic writing process. Designed for efficiency, the session walks participants through key applications of Gen-AI in research communication, including: generating manuscript outlines, summarizing existing papers, improving draft writing, and assisting with technical tasks such as LaTeX formatting and R scripting. The session will also briefly address common pitfalls and ethical considerations surrounding AI-assisted writing. No prior experience with AI tools is required.

About the Instructor: Linjun Zhang

Linjun Zhang, PhD, is an Associate Professor in the Department of Statistics at Rutgers University. He earned his Ph.D. in Statistics from the University of Pennsylvania in 2019, where he was advised by Professor T. Tony Cai. Prior to that, he received his B.S. in Statistics from the University of Science and Technology of China (USTC), graduating with the prestigious Guo-Moruo Award (summa cum laude, top 1%) through the Hua Loo-Keng Talent Program in Mathematics.

Dr. Zhang's research spans a broad array of topics including algorithmic fairness, privacy-preserving data analysis, machine learning theory (with a focus on AI safety), high-dimensional statistical inference, and self-supervised learning. His work is currently supported by the NSF CAREER Award (DMS-2340241), reflecting his commitment to advancing foundational and ethical aspects of modern statistical methodology.

He also brings experience from industry and international research settings, having served as a Research Intern at Bell Labs in 2018 and as an Undergraduate Research Assistant at the University of Western Australia in 2013.

Dr. Zhang is passionate about applying statistical thinking to emerging challenges in AI and data science, and he is enthusiastic about sharing practical tools and theoretical insights with researchers and practitioners alike.

About the NISS Writing Workshop

If you are interested in participating, full details are available here: Writing Workshop for Junior Researchers 2025 - Day 1 Online | National Institute of Statistical Sciences

Course Content

The workshop consists of two sessions plus a final meeting with the mentor. The first day is an all-day session that covers scientific writing, as well as how to organize a paper. It also discusses ethical issues, writing grant proposals and issues of journal choice and understanding and responding to reviewers’ comments. During this session, each participant meets with the mentor who analyzed a paper the participant submitted prior to JSM. The second session focuses on the specific issues covering the writing process and details of grammar, sentence structure and word choice, especially helpful for participants whose native language is not English. A panel of senior researchers will discuss their experiences with technical writing in English. We are offering a tutorial on ChatGPT and how it may be adopted by statisticians to help with writing at JSM 2025. For career development, speakers will not only share their experiences with writing but also address the impact of AI on writing and our profession as they see it.

Important Deadlines

Submission Deadline for Writing Sample:

• Sunday, June 8, 2025 at 11:59pm ET
• Submit your Writing Sample Here

All Writing Workshop Dates:

Prior to JSM On-Line via Zoom:

• Friday, July 18, 2025
• Friday July 25, 2025

In-person at JSM in Nashville, TN:

• Sunday August 3, 2025