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Tune in, and get inspired with WiDS

Get to know the women behind the data science. Leading women in data science share their work, advice, and lessons learned. Hear about how data science is being applied and having impact across a wide range of domains. Join hosts Chisoo Lyons and Margot Gerritsen in the open and informal conversations with our many inspiring guests.

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  • Cover Photo for Navigating Career Transitions: From Academia to Product Management

    Episode 56

    Sohini Sarkar | Navigating Career Transitions: From Academia to Product Management

    This podcast episode features Sohini Sarkar, Principal Product Manager and Senior Team Lead at MathWorks, discussing her career journey and offering advice to listeners. The conversation explores her transition from academia to the corporate world, her passion for product management, and her approach to balancing technical expertise with leadership responsibilities. Sohini’s career path highlights the importance of self-discovery and the willingness to deviate from predetermined expectations.

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  • Cover Photo for Predicting Responsibly: AI, Bias, and the Art of Data Science

    Episode 55

    Claudia Perlich | Predicting Responsibly: AI, Bias, and the Art of Data Science

    Claudia Perlich, a leading expert in predictive modeling shares about her work and views on the challenges of using AI and machine learning systems. Perlich discusses the importance of understanding the uncertainty and biases inherent in these models, and the need for careful evaluation and testing before deploying them, especially in high-stakes domains. She emphasizes the collective responsibility of data scientists, domain experts, and decision-makers to ensure these systems are used responsibly and equitably. She also shares insights on the skills and mindset needed for a successful career in predictive modeling, highlighting the value of data curiosity, scientific thinking, and effective communication.

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  • Cover Photo for From Graphs to Growth: Mentorship, Math, and the Power of Algorithms

    Episode 54

    Huda Nassar | From Graphs to Growth: Mentorship, Math, and the Power of Algorithms

    Huda Nassar is a data scientist who did her PhD at Purdue University, advised by David Gleich. Her research focused on graph alignment, using a combination of mathematics and computer science to solve real-world problems. After completing her PhD, Nassar did a postdoc at Stanford and now works at the company RelationalAI, where she develops optimized graph algorithms to help customers. Nassar is passionate about the intersection of mathematics and programming, and advocates for students to take courses in both areas. She also enjoys teaching and is a proponent of the Julia programming language. Nassar discusses how finding the right mentors has been crucial to her academic and career journey.

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  • Cover Photo for Beyond Borders: Elevating Women in Data Science and Leadership

    Episode 53

    Hannah Pham | Beyond Borders: Elevating Women in Data Science and Leadership

    In this podcast episode, Hannah and Chisoo discuss their shared experiences as immigrants and how that has shaped their perspectives and careers. They explore the value of learning new languages and being immersed in different cultures, as well as the importance of understanding problems before jumping into solutions when working in data science. Hannah shares her leadership philosophy of prioritizing people development, and they both emphasize the need to address burnout and create flexible work environments, particularly for women in the field. The conversation highlights the evolving nature of data science and the opportunities for the next generation of women to thrive in this dynamic industry.

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EP. 47
English
Michelle Katics |

Using Storytelling to Communicate with Stakeholders

TOPICS: Business Intelligence, Data Science as a Career, Digital Strategy

Michelle Katics, CEO and co-founder of BankersLab, emphasizes the integration of technical, business, and soft skills in risk management training. She also promotes women in data science and entrepreneurship, encourages ongoing learning and collaboration, and advocates embracing diverse skills for better results, all while discussing her volunteer work.

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EP. 46
English
Mary Krone |

Data Science Leadership: Creating Meaningful Impact

TOPICS: AI, Business Intelligence, Data Science as a Career, Leadership/Management

In this episode, Mary Krone explores her career shift from a PhD in chemistry and biochemistry to data science, where she builds financial credit models. She highlights her work’s tangible impact and discusses the challenges of work-life balance.

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EP. 45
English
Kate Kolich |

Mentorship, Data Ethics, and Leadership

TOPICS: Analytics, Business Intelligence, Data Governance, Data Science as a Career, Data Warehousing, Digital Strategy, Information Management

Kate Kolich serves as the Assistant Governor and the General Manager of Information Data and Analytics at the Reserve Bank of New Zealand. With an extensive background in the financial sector, she also has significant public sector experience. Throughout her impressive career, she’s delved into areas like data analytics, digital strategy, information management, data governance, business intelligence, and data warehousing, among others.

Soon after the launch of Women in Data Science (WiDS) at Stanford, Kate became an active WiDS ambassador. She has organized numerous WiDS conferences in New Zealand, spotlighting nearly 100 female data scientists. Beyond this, Kate is a passionate mentor and supporter of many professionals in New Zealand.

In our episode, we discuss Kate’s role at the Reserve Bank, the role of her team, highlights from her career, and her insights on being a successful woman leader in her field.

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EP. 44
English
Telle Whitney |

Breaking Barriers to Entry & Success for Women in Tech

TOPICS: Data Science as a Career, Foundations (Mathematics/Statistics), Values

In this podcast episode, Margot interviews Telle Whitney, a highly accomplished woman in the tech industry. Telle is best known for her 15 years as CEO of the Anita Borg Institute for Women and Technology, also known as AnitaB. Anita Borg was a close friend of Telle’s, and when Anita fell ill, Telle stepped in and made AnitaB into the world-renowned organization focused on advancement for female technologists that it is today. Before running AnitaB, Telle was a well-known engineer, then a leader and executive in software and product engineering. During their conversation, Margot and Telle explore the vital work of organizations like AnitaB and WiDS, which aim to support women in overcoming systemic barriers to entry and success in the tech industry.

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EP. 43
English
Srujana Kaddevarmuth |

Opening New Realms of Data Science and AI

TOPICS: Data Science as a Career

Srujana Kaddevarmuth is the current senior director of the Data and Machine Learning Center of Excellence at Walmart. She has had an illustrious career in the tech industry, having also worked as manager of data and machine learning and AI at Accenture and Hewlett Packard. In this episode, we talk about her career, her aspirations for data science and AI, and the challenges she met and still meets along the way.

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EP. 42
English
Veronica Edwards |

The Bridge Between Dance and Data Science

TOPICS: Data Science as a Career

Veronica Edwards is a dancer and choreographer who, after finding that physics was not in fact the major she wanted, studied sociology at Princeton University. In her words, she stumbled into her first job after graduation, which was with the company ReadWorks, and recently joined Polygence as a senior data analyst. In this podcast episode, she talks about Polygence, her wide-ranging educational and career background, the advice she has for others, and how dance has been an important part of her life and learning.

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EP. 41
English
Jane Lauder |

Using Data Science to Create Aspirational Products

TOPICS: Data Science as a Career

Jane Lauder, Chief Data Officer at Estée Lauder, explains how Estée Lauder combines data science with creativity to connect with their consumers, create aspirational products and support the longevity of their brands.

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EP. 40
English
Priya Donti |

Using AI to Fight the Climate Crisis

TOPICS: Algorithms, Data Generation/Collection

Priya Donti, Executive Director of Climate Change AI, explains multiple ways that machine learning and AI can be used to mitigate climate change. Her work at the intersection of climate change, computer science, and data science led her to co-found Climate Change AI, our partner for the WiDS Datathon 2023 challenge to improve long-term weather forecasting.

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EP. 39
Spanish
Lesly Zerna |

Teaching and Learning Data Science in Latin America

TOPICS: Data Science as a Career

Lesly Zerna, Google Developer Expert at Universidad Privada Boliviana, is a Bolivian researcher, teacher, mentor, content creator, and software developer. Shares her passion for learning and teaching data science and artificial intelligence. Lesly says learning works best when you know your personal learning style and apply that to practical topics you are interested in.​

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Podcast Hosts

Chisoo Lyons

Chisoo was born in South Korea and grew up living in Indonesia, Germany, and Jordan, before moving to the US. She attended University of California Berkeley and received a bachelor’s degree in Industrial Engineering & Operations Research and continued with her master’s focusing on Operations Research. Living in different parts of the world cultivated her ever-present curiosity about people and cultures. Chisoo worked for FICO, a global analytic and decision management company, applying data science to developing, consulting, and implementing decision support solutions for her clients. Her corporate career culminated in leadership roles managing innovation and lines of business. Now, as the Executive Director of Women in Data Science, Chisoo is thrilled to be in service of a global community of amazing women doing extraordinary work in the field of data science.

Professor Margot Gerritsen

Margot Gerritsen was born and raised in the Netherlands, and after getting her PhD at Stanford, she spent time in New Zealand in the Department of Engineering Science at the University of Auckland, returning to Stanford in 2001 as faculty member in Energy Resources Engineering. Margot specializes in the development of computational methods for renewable and fossil energy production. She is also active in coastal ocean dynamics and yacht design, as well as several other areas in computational mathematics including search algorithm design and matrix computations. Margot also Chairs the Board of Trustees for SIAM (Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics).

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