Sometimes we forget the humans behind the tech in our ever busy world. DSF is fortunate enough to know some incredible tech leaders across the world and has the privilege of hearing them present at our events. That being said, our Speaker Spotlight sets the stage to get to know our speakers on a more personal level and connect them with our growing community. Read the mini interview below!
A bit about Mauricio:
I am a hands-on data science leader with 9 years of experience delivering ML products in fintech, healthcare, and agriculture. I thrive in roles where I can lead data scientists technically while also shaping strategy, guiding what to predict, which data to use, and aligning with senior management to bridge their goals with what data science can realistically deliver.
How did you start out in your tech career?
I did an engineering degree in computer science, followed by a PhD and postdoc in computer science. After that, I became a professor of data science. While in academia, I started consulting for businesses on how to apply data science to agriculture and healthcare.
What are the signs of success in your field?
The sign of success is a rare combination of technical skills such as programming, experiment design, and statistics, along with strong communication skills for both technical and non-technical stakeholders. When a person has both of these abilities and applies them effectively to a project, that is the first sign of success.
What is the best and worst thing about your job role?
The best part for me is solving a problem that has been tormenting a stakeholder. For example, when a simple rolling average solves a forecasting problem, when basic business rules are sufficient for a prediction, or when fine-tuning a deep learning model is required to classify a merchant name.
The worst part is going through multiple iterations to develop a machine learning model, only to find that, once deployed, the model has little or no value for stakeholders.
What can you advise someone just starting out to be successful?
Work on your communication skills with both technical and non-technical stakeholders alongside your technical skills. In particular, I recommend doing personal projects and writing blogs, some aimed at technical audiences and others for non-technical readers.
How do you switch off?
I play water polo and do some swimming. I also play Nintendo Switch and travel a lot during holidays.
What advice would you give your younger self?
Start by asking your non-technical stakeholders what they understood from your solutions and presentations. Take this feedback as an opportunity to improve future presentations. I wish I had done this earlier, my job would have been more successful from the start.
What is next for you?
I would like to join a company that already has data analytics and data engineering capabilities but needs to grow a data science team. I want to help build those data science capabilities from scratch, including forecasting, prediction, and experiment design.
If you could do anything now, what would you do? Why?
There is something I would love to do that is both personally and professionally challenging. I would love to be an expat in a different country, perhaps in Asia, and work there for 6 to 12 months before returning to the UK.
What are your top 5 predictions in tech for the next 5 years?
I believe an incorrect use of AI could lead to problems due to overreliance on this technology. First, some people will not develop their technical skills. Second, some people will not develop their communication skills. Third, AI-generated code will become difficult to maintain and debug. Fourth, many companies will replace customer service roles with AI but will eventually reverse these changes and rehire people. Fifth, new types of fraud will emerge.
Watch Mauricio’s session at the Data Science Festival here.
Thank you to all our wonderful speakers for taking part in our Speaker Spotlight!
Want to become a DSF Speaker? Apply here!