Andy McMahon is the Head of MLOps at NatWest Group.

Throughout his career journey, from academia to startups and enterprises, one thing has been consistent: his appetite for challenges and throwing himself in the deep end.

Join us to learn why you should apply for the job you’re not quite ready for, how to build a data science function from scratch, and how to use chatGPT to learn better.

Follow us:

Andy McMahon - LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrew-p-mcmahon/  // Medium: https://medium.com/@andrewpmcmahon629

Alex Alexandrescu - https://www.linkedin.com/in/alex-alex

Sofiane Bebert - https://www.linkedin.com/in/sofiane-bebert

References from episode:

Anna is a conversational AI engineer at Springbok AI, with a fascinating career journey, from linguistics to NLP.

She shares insights on applying NLP in forensic linguistics and healthcare, freezing in an interview and turning a painful experience into an anecdotal one, and balancing theoretical learning with practical projects to grow your career.

Join us to learn about how to build a project portfolio to keep track of your skills and break into data science from any non-technical background.

**Follow us**

Anna Koroleva - LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/anna-koroleva-357334183/

Alex Alexandrescu - https://www.linkedin.com/in/alex-alex

Sofiane Bebert - https://www.linkedin.com/in/sofiane-bebert

**Timestamps**

[00:00 - 05:38] Starting your career in forensic linguistics

[05:37 - 07:34]  The intersection between data science & linguistics

[07:34 - 11:56] Using NLP to spot ‘spin’ misreporting in clinical trials

[11:56 - 15:39] The evolution of NLP over the last 10 years

[15:39 - 24:53] Why you should be intentional about building your project portfolio

[22:44 - 29:10] How to balance theoretical learning with practical experience

[29:10 - 33:35] Pathways into data science from non-tech backgrounds

[33:35 - 39:35] Tips for interviewing, what happens when you freeze, and recency bias

[39:35 - 45:22] How to keep track of and talk about your skills

[45:22 - 53:57] Conversational AI before and after chatGPT

[53:57 - 55:31] Closing thoughts

Sara El-Hanfy is the Head of AI & ML at InnovateUK, the UK’s innovation agency. Join us in exploring what led her down this pathway and the things that are top of mind these days as we move into the age of AI.

We talk about spotting AI hype from opportunity, adoption, mitigating risks, overcoming skills gaps, and how InnovateUK works to ensure an even distribution of the AI opportunity across industries, particularly encouraging adoption in low maturity sectors.

Follow us: 

Sara El-Hanfy - https://www.linkedin.com/in/sara-el-hanfy

Alex Alexandrescu - https://www.linkedin.com/in/alex-alex

Sofiane Bebert - https://www.linkedin.com/in/sofiane-bebert

Timestamps:

[00:00 - 07:49] Understanding your values and following your passion throughout your career

[07:49 - 09:32] First experiences working in AI

[09:32 - 12:18] Seeing AI development from macro level at InnovateUK

[12:18 - 15:05] Learning curve in transitioning from contributor to strategic level

[15:05 - 17:14] Challenges for AI adoption in low maturity sectors

[17:14 - 22:52] Increasing awareness & diversity in AI development

[22:52 - 28:38] Encouraging innovation with InnovateUK vs. mitigating risk

[28:38 - 31:34] What is holding back AI adoption in the UK: information asymmetry

[32:57 - 37:03] Spotting real opportunity from hype in AI

[37:03 - 40:41] Generative AI: real opportunity or hype?

[40:41 - 42:45] Next areas of opportunity in AI

Gerard shares key insights and tips he learned along his journey, from the early days, launching a ski comparison site, helping startups with data strategies and to joining the nPlan rocketship.

If you like hearing about solving complex problems, building all-star data teams, and what it take to write a book on the subject, this episode will leave you inspired.

Book: Business Models in Emerging Technologies: Data Science, AI, and Blockchain - https://www.amazon.co.uk/Business-Models-Emerging-Technologies-Blockchain-ebook/dp/B0B2HB2DFR

Follow us: Gerard Cardoso - LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/gerardcardoso  // Twitter: https://twitter.com/gerardcardosoAlex Alexandrescu - https://www.linkedin.com/in/alex-alexSofiane Bebert - https://www.linkedin.com/in/sofiane-bebert

Timestamps [00:00 - 09:41] Early days - how a part time job in university led to a career in data science [09:41 - 12:55] Difference between data projects in industry vs academia [12:55 - 18:07] Launching a ski deal comparison startup [18:07 - 24:02] Helping startups create their data strategy at Founders Factory [24:02 - 35:32] How to & how not to build great data products [35:32 - 47:35] Joining the nPlan rocketship & recruiting all-stars [47:35 - 54:34] Writing a book to demystify data science roles [54:34 - 57:25] The data science hierarchy of needs

Heiko is a Senior Solutions Architect for AI/ML at AWS, organises NLP meetups in London, and loves tinkering with Large Language Models (LLMs) and writing about it.

Throughout his journey, from studying physics to becoming a solutions architect at AWS, he talks about different types of data science projects he’s worked on - from assessing financial fraud to building AI apps with chatGPT.

Tune in to learn more about how data science has changed over the years, using generative AI tools effectively, and what to do to stay ahead of the curve.

Follow us:

Heiko Hotz - LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/heikohotz/  // Medium: https://heiko-hotz.medium.com/

Alex Alexandrescu - https://www.linkedin.com/in/alex-alex

Sofiane Bebert - https://www.linkedin.com/in/sofiane-bebert

References:

Timestamps

[00:00 - 06:11] Early days - nurturing a passion for coding and pushing Basic (programming language) to the limit

[06:11 - 14:10] How a part-time job in university led to a smooth transition into the world of work

[14:10 - 18:40] Going beyond the technical - understanding the business side of things through analytics

[18:40 - 25:20] Using data to solve the largest ever financial fraud case to come out of the Cayman Islands

[25:20 - 31:00] Volunteering on data science projects and landing a job at Amazon

[31:00 - 33:47] What a Solutions Architect at AWS does

[33:47 - 42:36] What are Large Language Models (LLMs) like chatGPT and how can they be used effectively

[42:36 - 46:50] Developing a strategy bot using chatGPT for an NGO

[46:50 - 51:14] What should students learn to transition effectively into work

Yacine is the COO of Axya, a platform that simplifies the procurement process down to a few clicks for both buyers and suppliers.

Coming from the world of academia, Yacine was doing a PhD to study how consciousness could be detected in individuals not able to move or speak, when a hackathon set him on an entirely new but not unfamiliar path - entrepreneurship.

Listen in as we talk about Yacine’s transition from education to employment, strategies for building a startup, growing data teams, and more.

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Follow us:

Yacine Mahdid - https://www.linkedin.com/in/yacinemahdid/

Alex Alexandrescu - https://www.linkedin.com/in/alex-alex

Sofiane Bebert - https://www.linkedin.com/in/sofiane-bebert

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[00:00 - 00:37] Intro

[00:37 - 06:12] How an interest in the brain and an unusual learning strategy led Yacine into Data Science

[06:12 - 08:33] How is research similar to entrepreneurship

[08:33 - 14:17] Yacine’s transition from academia to building startups

[14:17 - 19:26] How did Axya come about and what problem are you solving?

[19:26 - 24:58] Pivoting until you find success

[24:58 - 33:25] How did you approach building your team?

[33:25 - 40:24] How do you work with students to grow the business and what’s your process?

[40:24 - 44:18] What does the future look like for Axya’s data team?

[44:18 - 47:35] Thoughts on Axya and the current recession

David is the CEO of Advai, a platform that helps companies test and build robustness in their AI systems. 

With a rich background that includes headhunting and working in the Foreign Office, David shares nuggets of wisdom on how he thinks about building data science teams, what is the most important quality that candidates can demonstrate, and how he builds a culture of effective and open communication, inspired from the ML Ops lifecycle. 

Follow us:

David Sully - https://www.linkedin.com/in/david-s-a654888b/

Alex Alexandrescu - https://www.linkedin.com/in/alex-alex

Sofiane Bebert - https://www.linkedin.com/in/sofiane-bebert

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[00:00 - 01:18] Intro

[01:18 - 03:02] What is Advai

[03:02 - 05:33] What do you look for in your ideal team?

[05:33 - 12:34] What process do you have to identify this?

[12:34 - 17:34] How do you look at a CV and portfolio?

[17:34 - 20:40] The role of vision in managing highly technical teams

[20:40 - 23:49] Building the culture and mechanisms for effective communication

[23:49 - 29:22] Embracing the ML Ops lifecycle

[29:22 - 34:26] Advice for students applying for jobs in the current economic climate

In this first episode, Alex and Sofiane talk to Sean Kennedy, Talent Acquisition Specialist at BenchSci.

Sean gives us an overview of his journey from education to employment - from soldier to tech recruiter.

We then talk about some of his more memorable experiences, what candidates do to stand out, and things to consider while looking your next role.

Finally, we touch a bit on the potential impact of a looming recession on graduate recruitment - how do employers think and what can you do to prepare.

Follow us:

Sean Kennedy - https://www.linkedin.com/in/sean-kennedy-0b578113

Alex Alexandrescu - https://www.linkedin.com/in/alex-alex

Sofiane Bebert - https://www.linkedin.com/in/sofiane-bebert  

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[0:00 - 1:15] Intro

[1:15 - 9:07] Sean’s early career

[9:07 - 12:56] Graduate opportunities with BenchSci

[12:56 - 22:25] How to stand out

[22:25  - 26:20] How agency recruiters think differently from internal recruiters

[25:45 - 30:57] Providing feedback constructively

[30:57 - 37:51] Why graduates are important to the team

[37:51 - 42:17] Starting salaries and the looming recession

[42:17 - 44:55] Closing thoughts