Women in Data Science and Machine Learning

Jim Shelton: We had a great evening this Tuesday at the Biohub with the Bay Area members of the Women in Data Science and Machine Learning (http://wimlds.org/).

My colleagues Samantha Scovanner and Rebecca Egger, both product managers on our technology team, spoke about projects they are working on. Samantha described how we work side-by-side with partners and organizations we fund in the Human Cell Atlas Data Coordination Platform — a tool that will help scientists contribute their findings to the global project to map all cells in the human body.

Rebecca is working on an infectious-disease tracking project and on preprints, and she discussed the importance of keeping users in mind when designing products. Empathy and listening are key aspects of creating something that is useful to the communities you’re trying to serve! Olga Botvinnik, a data scientist at the Biohub, talked about the evolution of statistical and machine learning algorithms in single cell biology. I talked about our overall science work at the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative.

It is such a unique opportunity to work closely with the Technology team at CZI. Our work in science can move faster because we build tools to fit the needs of the scientists we serve.