Meet A Data Scientist Lecture Series

The Meet a Data Scientist Lecture Series is a chance to get up-close and personal with top-level experts in a wide variety of fields that use data science. The purpose of this series is to introduce the people behind the data, their lives, interests, career choices, their work, and their passion for how they use data to solve grand challenges in their respective fields. Join us as we peer behind the curtain and meet the data scientists behind the data! This lecture series is co-sponsored by IDSC and the Miami Clinical and Translational Science Institute (CTSI) and is free and open to the public.

Upcoming Sessions
TBA
Past Sessions
	Joseph Avery Wednesday, September 28, 2022 • Video Not Available (technical difficulties) Talk Title: Artificial legal intelligence: Case studies and experiments exploring successes and hurdles in this nascent subset of AI Joseph J. Avery is an Assistant Professor at the University of Miami Herbert Business School, an IDSC Member, and an Affiliated Fellow at Yale Law School’s Information Society Project.
	Amanda Myers Tuesday, April 28, 2022 • Catch the Replay VIDEO \| Story Talk Title: “The Human Brainome: Genome, Transcriptome, Proteome and Phenome Interaction in Human Cortex” Dr. Amanda Myers is the Principal Investigator of the Laboratory for Functional Neurogenomics, with co-appointments in the Division of Neuroscience, the Department of Human Genetics and Genomics, and the Center for Cognitive Neuroscience and Aging.
	Shane Elipot Tuesday, April 5, 2022 • Catch the Replay VIDEO \| Story Talk Title: “An Ocean of Data” Dr. Elipot’s research is focused on using in situ observations and model outputs to understand the kinematics and dynamics of ocean currents, from small-scale mixing processes associated with tides to the global oceanic circulation. Dr. Elipot received his PhD in Oceanography from the Scripps Institution of Oceanography at the University of California, San Diego in 2006. In 2007-2008, Dr. Elipot was a National Research Council postdoctoral research fellow at the NOAA Atlantic Oceanographic and Meteorological Laboratory in Miami, Florida. In 2009, he joined the UK National Oceanography Center in Liverpool as a physical oceanographer. In 2013, Dr. Elipot returned to Miami at the Rosenstiel School first as a scientist, then as a research professor starting in 2019.
	Shri Narayanan February 9, 2022 • Catch the Replay VIDEO \| Story Talk Title: “Human-centered Multimodal Machine Intelligence Shrikanth “Shri” Narayanan is University Professor and Niki & C. L. Max Nikias Chair in Engineering at the University of Southern California, where he is also a Professor of Electrical & Computer Engineering, Computer Science, Linguistics, Psychology, Neuroscience, Pediatrics, and Otolaryngology—Head & Neck Surgery, Director of the Ming Hsieh Institute, and Research Director of the Information Sciences Institute. Prior to USC he was with AT&T Bell Labs and AT&T Research. His research focuses on human-centered information processing and communication technologies.
	Ching-Hua Chuan December 8, 2021 • Catch the Replay VIDEO \| Story Talk Title: “Human-Machine Collaboration and Communication” Ching-Hua Chuan is an Assistant Professor of Interactive Media at the University of Miami. Her research interests include artificial intelligence, machine learning, and music information retrieval with a focus on human-centered computing. Through her collaborations with scholars across different fields, she aims to augment the power of computing for social change and adopts an interdisciplinary approach to studying the impacts of technological advances, from mixed reality to artificial intelligence, on society.
	Luis Ruiz Pestana November 16, 2021 • Catch the Replay VIDEO \| Story Talk Title: “Can data science help us understand the laws of nature?” Dr. Ruiz Pestana is an expert in molecular modeling and simulation whose research is focused on understanding the amazing properties of nanostructured materials. He is an Assistant Professor in the Civil, and Architectural Engineering Department at the University of Miami since. He obtained his PhD in Theoretical and Applied Mechanics from Northwestern University in 2015, where he made important contributions to the areas of nanomechanics, self-assembly, and selective molecular transport in peptide nanotubes, as well as developed mesoscale models to study the mechanical properties of large-scale multilayer graphene assemblies.
	Kim Grinfeder October 28, 2021 • Catch the Replay VIDEO \| Story Talk Title: “XR: From Theory to Practice” Kim Grinfeder, Director of the University of Miami School of Communication Interactive Media program, and the XR Initiative. His work often explores new media tech across the spectrum including immersive storytelling, interactive installations, UI Design, branching narratives & emerging communication technologies. His current research and creative work interests are in producing 360º films, immersive storytelling, and non-linear narratives.
	Lindsay Thomas October 20, 2021 • Catch the Replay VIDEO \| Story Talk Title: “When Are Texts Data? Views from a Data Humanist” Lindsay Thomas is an Assistant Professor of English and Director of Undergraduate Studies at the University of Miami. Her research and teaching focus on the digital humanities, cultural studies, and contemporary US literature. She is the author of Training for Catastrophe: Fictions of National Security after 9/11 (2021), a book about how the post-9/11 national security state uses fiction to train people to accept disaster as part of everyday life. From 2017-2021, she was co-director of WhatEvery1Says, a public humanities project that used machine learning to explore the shape of contemporary public discourse on the value of the humanities. She has published articles on post-9/11 national security and contemporary fiction and film, and she is a co-curator of the WhatEvery1Says datasets, which include over 9 million news articles and social media posts about the humanities today.
	Athena Hadjixenofontos September 30, 2021 • Catch the Replay VIDEO \| Story Talk Title: “Model Development with High-Dimensional Data” Dr. Athena Hadjixenofontos is Vice President of Data Science for Wells Fargo. She is a data science leader with an academic background. Her team has an exceptional record in building robust, reliable machine learning models, shaping them from the early sapling of an idea and driving them into production. She is advancing the application of data science in multiple ways: from leading the development of models that ensure regulatory compliance, manage risk, and drive business growth, to creating pathways towards data science careers for under-represented populations. In her current role, she has increased efficiency and rigor by standardizing best practices for on-the-ground data scientists. These best practices cover the entire lifecycle from conception, to development, and production deployment of statistical and machine learning models.
	Daniel Messinger April 22, 2021 Talk Title: “Data Drive Development: A Computational Journey” Dr. Daniel Messinger is a Professor at the University of Miami in the departments of Psychology, Pediatrics, and Electrical and Computer Engineering, as well the Linda Ray Intervention Center Research Director, Director of the UM Early Play and Development Lab, and Director of IDSC Social and Behavioral Data Science. He uses machine learning to paint an objective picture of children’s interaction and employs computational models to make sense of the resulting big behavioral data. He works with children affected by autism spectrum disorder (ASD), hearing loss, and poverty. By understanding interaction, he seeks to fosters pathways to healthy development.
	Selcuk Uluagac April 8, 2021 • Catch the Replay VIDEO Talk Title: “Security and Privacy of IoT Apps and Devices: A Machine Learning Perspective” A. Selcuk Uluagac, PhD, is currently a member of the Florida International University faculty in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering as an Eminent Scholar Chaired Associate Professor, where he directs the Cyber-Physical Systems Security Lab (CSL).
	Joseph Johnson March 25, 2021 • Video Not Available (technical difficulties) Dr. Joseph Johnson is Associate Professor of Marketing at the University of Miami’s Miami Herbert Business School. He teaches Marketing Analytics, New Product Development, Strategic Brand Management and a doctoral seminar on quantitative methods for marketing management. His current research focuses on the use of artificial intelligence and text mining tools as a decision aid for managers.
	Yelena Yesha January 27, 2021 • Catch the Replay VIDEO \| Story Talk Title: “Data Science: A Paradigm of Understandable Knowledge” At the University of Miami, Dr. Yelena Yesha is Knight Foundation Chair of Data Science and AI at the Institute for Data Science and Computing (IDSC). As IDSC Innovation Officer and Head of International Relations, she assists faculty in engaging government and industrial partners to collaborate with the University and in developing research ideas into innovations. Continuing the work she began as Founding Director of the NSF Center for Accelerated Real Time Analytics (CARTA \| UM CARTA), Dr. Yesha is working on innovative technology in the areas of blockchains, cybersecurity, and big data analytics with applications to e-commerce, climate change, and digital healthcare.
	Ken Goodman December 10, 2020 • Catch the Replay VIDEO \| Story Talk Title: “Data Science + Ethics: UM’s Role in the New Research” Kenneth W. Goodman, PhD, FACMI, FACE, is the Founder and Director of the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine’s Institute for Bioethics and Health Policy, Director of the University’s Ethics Programs. and Director of IDSC Data Ethics and Society.
	Tim Norris December 9, 2020 • Catch the Replay Talk Title: “John Locke, Political Economy, and the Secret Life of a Bitpusher” Dr. Norris is a Data Scientist with a joint appointment between UM Libraries and IDSC Systems and Data Engineering. His interests lie in studying the flow of data throughout the entire research cycle from inception of the research question to the publication and preservation of the results.
	Ben Kirtman November 18, 2020 • Catch the Replay Talk Title: “Predicting Environmental Hazards: Where Data Science and Computing Meet” Ben Kirtman, PhD, is a Professor of Atmospheric Sciences at the University of Miami Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science, Co-Chair of the NOAA Climate Prediction Task Force, a Coordinating Lead Author of the IPCC Assessment Report Five, Director of the Cooperative Institute for Marine and Atmospheric Studies (CIMAS), Program Director of UM IDSC Earth Systems.
	Alberto Cairo November 4, 2020 • Catch the Replay Talk Title: “Tips and Tools for Exploring, Mapping, and Communicating Data” Alberto Cairo, PhD, is an expert on the use of data in visual graphics and journalism. He currently works as a consultant for Google and the Congressional Budget Office. Prof. Cairo is also the Director of the IDSC Visualization program, the Knight Foundation Chair in Visual Journalism, and an Associate Professor in the Department of Journalism and Media Management and the Department of Interactive Media.