Astronomers Turned Data Scientists Podcast

Isaac Shivvers discusses his background in Astronomy, Geology, and Physics, his transition to Data Science, and his experience at various Data Scientist jobs, including the bankruptcy of Airware. He then dives deep into Computer Vision: his experiences, beginner projects, steps to take for those who have Astronomy experience and want to get into a Computer Vision role, and his predictions for the...

Marcos Huerta discusses his astronomy background, his transitions first to science policy and later to data science, and his current data science job at Carmax. He also talks about data science bootcamps, interviews, work-life balance, and his predictions for the future of data science and LLMs.    Links Marcos’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/marcoshuerta/   Marcos’s Website: https://marco...

Julia Silge discusses how she got into astronomy, her first non-data science positions after leaving academia, and how she then started blogging about data science and going to conferences, which opened up the door to new opportunities, including open source contributions, writing books, and data science positions. She shares advice for those who are considering making the transition from astronom...

Chris Lindner talks about his Astronomy background, his transition into Data Science, as well as his stint as a professional Poker player. He also discusses how as a graduate student he was involved in starting a study group about entering Data Science, how there is no real method to interviews, how he continues to stay connected to Academia through events like Astronomy on Tap, and what non-techn...

Tom Kirsh talks about his astronomy experience during undergrad, learning data science foundations, getting hired as a data scientist, and his next career steps. He also offers advice about how to pitch yourself in interviews and emphasizes the need for data cleaning.   Links: Tom’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/thomaskirsh/     Credits Intro Music: Tonight At Eight by Shane Ivers - https:...

Patrick Aleo talks about his astronomy background, how he developed his skills for data science over several years of graduate school, his recent transition to data science, and his fresh industry experience. He also offers his advice to academics who are considering making the transition to data science.    Links: Patrick’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/patrickdaleo/   Patrick’s Talk at A...

Julie Hollek discusses her Astronomy background, her transition to Data Science, and her experience as an Individual Contributor, Manager, and Director. She also talks about bootcamps, the SciPy conference, and advantages for people coming from Astronomy into Data Science.    Links: Julie’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/juliehollek/   SciPy Conference: https://conference.scipy.org/     Cre...

Eva Noyola discusses her Astronomy background, her transition to Data Science, her experience as a Data Analyst and in the public sector, and how Astronomy has prepared us to take on challenges.  Links: Eva’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/eva-noyola-743a06178/   Credits Intro Music: Tonight At Eight by Shane Ivers - https://www.silvermansound.com (no relation) Outro Music: Savour The Momen...

Kevin Moore talks about how he got into Astronomy and transitioned from there to Data Science. He discusses his current job at a startup. He goes into details about programming, interviews, and the role of  LLMs in the future of Data Science.  Links: Kevin’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kmoore13/   Credits Intro Music: Tonight At Eight by Shane Ivers - https://www.silvermansound.com (no r...

Riwaj Pokhrel discusses his recent transition from Astronomy to Data Science, the factors that led to this decision, and his current role as a Data Scientist. He then compares what he expected out of this transition with what his current experience is. He talks about networking and other important transferable skills. He shares how he has regained some of his original love for Astronomy after his...

Betsy Barton discusses her career trajectory from Astronomy to Data Science, including time at a hedge fund and as a DS Manager before starting her own company. She goes in depth about AI tools that can be built on LLMs and imagines their intersection with robotics. She shares how she has adapted the vision for her company Infiniscape and their social media app Kyndr. She also converses about the...

Marcel Haas discusses what led him into Astronomy, why and how he transitioned to Data Science, his experience in various Data Science positions, and his current role teaching Data Science. He also talks about differences in the field between Europe and North America, transferable skills, and craft beer.  Links: Marcel’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/harcel/   Marcel’s Website: https://mar...

Genevieve Graves discusses her transition from Astronomy to Data Science, sharing her experience with startups and with consulting. She speaks about how to figure out what you want to do and how venture capital firms determine what sort of projects to fund. She also shares her thoughts about the future in the field, why astronomers make good data scientists, and how she discovered work-life balanc...

Jess Kirkpatrick discusses her transition to Data Science, outreach for others considering a similar transition, multiple moves between companies, interesting projects, and predictions for the next few years in Data Science.  Links: Wage Report for hired.com : https://hired.com/wage-inequality-report/2020/#intro Jess’s Astronomer to Data Diva post on Medium - https://medium.com/data-diva/astronome...

Taka Tanaka discusses his transition from Astronomy to Data Science, how his career has progressed to the current point of being a Data Science Manager, and what he expects to unfold in the field of Data Science during the next few years.  Links: Taka’s Astronomy to Data Science Slides: https://github.com/taka-tanaka/astronomy-to-data-science/blob/master/ATDS.pdf   Taka’s LinkedIn: https://www.lin...