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://marcoshuerta.com/about/

Credits

Intro Music: Tonight At Eight by Shane Ivers - https://www.silvermansound.com (no relation)

Outro Music: Savour The Moment by Shane Ivers - https://www.silvermansound.com (no relation)

Co-Hosts: Jeffrey Silverman and Joseph A’Hearn

Recording: Jeffrey Silverman

Editing: Joseph A’Hearn

ATDS Podcast Logo: Joseph A’Hearn

Thumbnail Headshot Image: Marcos Huerta

Thumbnail Design: Joseph A'Hearn

We thank the American Astronomical Society for being an official sponsor of the podcast.

Timecodes

0:00 - Intro

1:07 - Astronomy Background

4:18 - Transition to Science Policy

8:06 - Transition to Data Science

11:40 - Job Changes within Science Policy

15:32 - Data Science Bootcamps and Alternatives

21:55 - Interviewing

26:20 - Data Science at Carmax

33:50 - Day-to-Day and Work-Life Balance

40:26 - Predictions for Data Science and LLMs

47:46 - Final Advice

49:40 - Outro

#Astronomy #DataScience #Transitions #Podcast #ATDS #Astro2Data

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 astronomy to data science. She also talks about the experience of speaking at SciPy 2024 about scientific computing across languages.

Links:

Julia’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/juliasilge/

Julia’s blog: https://juliasilge.com/blog/

ROpenSci: https://ropensci.org/

Her first O’Reilly book: https://www.oreilly.com/library/view/text-mining-with/9781491981641/

SciPy Conference: https://conference.scipy.org/

Her Talk at SciPy 2024: https://youtu.be/MVuxbtERZMI?si=1pSajS3Y1I5CjjBx

Credits

Intro Music: Tonight At Eight by Shane Ivers - https://www.silvermansound.com (no relation)

Outro Music: Savour The Moment by Shane Ivers - https://www.silvermansound.com (no relation)

Co-Hosts: Jeffrey Silverman and Joseph A’Hearn

Recording: Jeffrey Silverman

Editing: Joseph A’Hearn

ATDS Podcast Logo: Joseph A’Hearn

Thumbnail Headshot Image: Julia Silge

Thumbnail Design: Joseph A'Hearn

We thank the American Astronomical Society for being an official sponsor of the podcast.

Timecodes

0:00 - Intro

1:37 - Astronomy Background

7:45 - Careers After Leaving Astronomy

8:49 - Emergence of Data Science

10:36 - UT Austin Astronomy Conducive to Data Science

12:45 - Getting into Data Science

19:13 - First Data Science Job

21:36 - Consulting Roles

25:44 - Writing Books

28:16 - Current Role at Posit PBC

35:51 - Switch from Individual Contributor to Manager

42:50 - Advice for Astronomers Becoming Data Scientists

48:29 - Scientific Computing Across Languages

56:13 - Outro

#Astronomy #DataScience #Transitions #Podcast #ATDS #Astro2Data

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-technical skills are important for Astronomers looking to become Data Scientists.

Links:

Chris’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chris-lindner-170a0385/

Credits

Intro Music: Tonight At Eight by Shane Ivers - https://www.silvermansound.com (no relation)

Outro Music: Savour The Moment by Shane Ivers - https://www.silvermansound.com (no relation)

Co-Hosts: Jeffrey Silverman and Joseph A’Hearn

Recording: Jeffrey Silverman

Editing: Joseph A’Hearn

ATDS Podcast Logo: Joseph A’Hearn

Thumbnail Headshot Image: Chris Lindner

Thumbnail Design: Joseph A'Hearn

Timecodes

0:00 - Intro

0:49 - Astronomy Background

2:09 - Study Group About Entering Data Science

6:29 - Communication Between Industry and Academia

13:05 - Transition into Data Science

19:40 - Diversity of Interviews

23:27 - Networking and Getting Referrals

26:28 - How Data Science Has Changed Over the Years

34:56 - Important Non-Technical Skills

38:20 - Most Recent Positions: Data Science and Professional Poker

43:14 - Relevance of Math for Poker

47:06 - Final Advice for Astronomers Becoming Data Scientists

49:13 - Outro

#Astronomy #DataScience #Transitions #Podcast #ATDS #Astro2Data