Zehaan Naik
Statistics researcher and incoming PhD student at Duke University
I recently graduated from the Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur with a B.S. with honors in Statistics and Data Science. I will join the Department of Statistical Science at Duke University as a PhD student in Fall 2026.
My research spans computational statistics and machine learning, with a focus on Markov chain Monte Carlo, robust estimation, optimization, and differential privacy. I have worked with Prof. Dootika Vats, Prof. Debasis Kundu, and Prof. Sharmishtha Mitra.
Previously, I gained industry experience as a summer associate at the Boston Consulting Group in Mumbai and academic experience as a research intern under Prof. S. Basu at IIM Bangalore.
Outside of academics, I have served as a coordinator for the Debating Society of IIT Kanpur and an editor for Vox Populi, the campus media body. I enjoy creative writing and publish poetry on my blog, Serendipity. I am also an avid reader, traveler, and dog lover.
Research resources
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If you wish to explore MCMC, particularly Hamiltonian Monte Carlo, check out:
Learner's Note on Hamiltonian Monte Carlo