Daniel Moore explains why honesty is the best policy in data science and why the best models and most sophisticated techniques are not what matters most.
Daniel Moore is a lead data scientist at Liberty IT with a decade of experience in the analytics and data science field.
He has a background in biophysics and has worked in diverse fields such as cancer research, drug design, the mobility sector and insurance.
Moore told SiliconRepublic.com that his love for maths and physics were what started him on his STEM career. By the time it came to choosing what to study in university, it was between computer science and human biology. But the latter won out.
“I know there was a turning point in my education and one person that shaped how I got here. In your final year of most university degrees, you undertake a research project. Essentially you work with a professor to explore your thoughts on how to solve a novel problem. Mine was Frank,” he said.
“As part of this, I worked with a new group of people who were all really friendly and devoted time to helping me learn. No question was too stupid. This was my first time programming. I remember how amazing it felt to solve mathematical problems automatically and with incredible speed. I didn’t know such a field existed where I could work in biology and explore my love for technology and computers.”
This experience made him change his career plans. He did a master’s degree in computational biology, now known as bioinformatics, and went to complete a PhD in biophysics and drug design.
“I was exposed to the real tangible impact of data science on humans,” he said. “How we can leverage data to screen for cancer automatically, to design and develop new drugs in a move toward a disease-free world preventing unnecessary suffering and death. I may have got here by chance, but I stayed because the impact and use case were just incredible.”
‘The models you produce as a data scientist are useless if you cannot explain how they work’
– DANIEL MOORE
What brought you to your current role in Liberty IT?
When you finish your PhD or your degree, one question always gets asked, should I continue in academia or move to industry? However, a good work-life balance was important to me so I decided against studying medicine and chose to explore a career in industry.
It wasn’t an obvious choice. I applied to be a lecturer before submitting my CV to a small local start-up company to work as something called a ‘data scientist’. It was the first time I heard that term, and with a fear of interviews, I almost didn’t go. Looking back, I’m so glad I took that opportunity for multiple reasons – to experience a career in industry, within a start-up and as a data scientist.
For two years I was fortunate enough to work within the mobility sector on cutting-edge tech such as self-driving cars, biometric wearables and how we can use such sensors to improve driver safety. I got to work with some amazing tech and OEM car brands such as Bentley and Volvo, and experience that start-up culture even working in Silicon Valley for a brief time. However, start-up life is difficult, your input directly shapes the future of the …….
Source: https://www.siliconrepublic.com/people/data-science-jobs-skills-liberty-it