The PRQL: How is Academic Research Shaping the Future of Data Processing Systems? Featuring Tony Wang of Stanford University

Eric Dodds 00:05
Welcome to The Data Stack Show prequel. This is a short bonus episode where we preview the upcoming show, you’ll get to meet our guests and hear about the topics we’re going to cover. If they’re interesting to you, you can catch the full length show when it drops on Wednesday. We have Tony Wang on the DataStack Show today, Tony, we have a lot to talk about. Both academia, the data industry, different kinds of selling, and some cool data stuff in general, but we’ll start where we always do. Give us an overview of your background.

Tony Wang 00:45
Yeah I’m Tony, I’m a PhD student at Stanford University, one of the few people today still studying data systems and databases. Before that, I was at MIT for four years, studying mostly electrical engineering and hardware engineering. Before that, you know, I was I came to the US for China, when I was 16. I went to a private boarding school up in New Hampshire. I love to ski and I bike a lot. California has been pretty good report. So when that’s the rare areas where you can, where you can drive like, four or five hours, hopefully only and ski and also have, you know, decent weather year round when you’re not skiing? Yeah.

Eric Dodds 01:29
And it’s a great place for database research to so you kind of get all you check all of your box.

Tony Wang 01:36
Parts of California, great for database research, to be sure, yes.

Kostas Pardalis 01:41
Yeah and that’s like one of the reasons that I’m really excited to have Tony here today, Eric, like, I think it’s the first time that we have someone who is actually pursuing a PhD, we have many people who have successfully done their PhDs and starting companies, but someone who’s like in the process of the paid way, I think, like the first time so I’m super excited to talk about what it feels like to do that do research. And learn, of course, like what’s, let’s say the state of the art right now, what like the academia is interested in? And most importantly, what’s the connection between that and the industry out there? Because there is a continuum, right? Like the things have happened, like and university specials and stuff like databases. They have like an impact out there to the systems that we build tomorrow show. Super excited to chat about that. What about you, Tony? Like what do you would like to talk about today?

Tony Wang 02:39
Sure. I can talk about that. I can also talk about the stuff I’m working on and like my thoughts on, you know, different data processing systems and what I hope will become more popular in the future. From a from a technical perspective, although I know that other better products are also driven by other aspects as well, or that have less of a side all.

Kostas Pardalis 03:05
Yep, sounds good. So what do you think, Eric? Can you go and do it?

Eric Dodds 03:10
Let’s do it. I can’t wait. All right. That’s a wrap for the prequel. The full length episode will drop Wednesday morning. Subscribe now so you don’t miss it.