GSEM working from home: Eva Cantoni, Professor of Statistics

How do GSEM members experience lockdown and telework? Today, Eva Cantoni, Professor of Statistics on scientific leave, shares her experience:

How is your work going, remotely?

Quite well, my activities lend themselves to telework relatively easily. The challenge is to cope with the logistical constraints of this new situation.

My situation is a bit unusual because I am on scientific leave in England. I am therefore not involved in the usual teaching and administrative activities for the 2019/2020 academic year. This has the advantage of removing the stress of dealing with the emergency of the current situation. The flip side of the coin is the lack of structure in the organization of each day, which can lead to distraction.

What are you currently working on?

Since the beginning of the coronavirus turmoil, I have been continuing the research activities I had planned in my scientific leave project. I am invited to the Cass Business School, for the March-June period. The confinement was pronounced the day after I received access to my office in the beautiful premises of this university in London. So I never went back there again!

But the type of research I do (which does not involve laboratory experiments, for example) can easily be done from home and with modern communication technologies. With my colleagues, we therefore carry on with our work almost as usual, except perhaps at a slightly slower pace, as everyone has to cope with the practical constraints imposed by the situation.

Ironically, one of the pieces of work we are currently working on, but which started before the coronavirus appeared, is a new methodology for modelling and predicting hospital congestion during seasonal flu seasons!

What has the situation changed for you?

We are discovering unknown, or even unsuspected, resources in ourselves and in the people around us.

What has been your biggest challenge since the beginning of the lockdown?

Living with the rest of the family 24 hours a day, over an extended period of time.

What do you miss the most?

• Social interactions! That must be my Latin side...
• I also find it hard not being able to plan ahead

What do you like best?

The fact that this crisis is making us and will make us reflect on our way of life at a frantic pace

What will you retain after the lockdown?

Lockdown will have made us explore new ways and will have changed some of our habits, sometimes taking us out of our comfort zone. Maybe some of those new habits will be adopted permanently?

Thank you, Professor Cantoni !

This year, Eva Cantoni is on scientific leave in England.