Do you want to collaborate directly with business stakeholders to better understand their goals and needs and help address them using scientific data?
Do you want to develop data modeling processes, algorithms, and predictive models to extract the data businesses require?
Do you want to assist in data analysis and informed business decision-making processes?

If you answered yes, yes, and yes, then the career for you is data science!

 

To find and explain large volumes of data generated by businesses, data scientists use the scientific method, mathematics, statistics, specialised programming, advanced analytics, artificial intelligence (AI), and even storytelling skills.¹

Data scientists, data analysts, database developers, and other relevant STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) professionals are the ones leading our data-driven world. However, most of the world’s data scientists are men; just 15% of data scientists and 26% of STEM professionals in data and analytics roles are women.² This STEM gender gap can lead to biased data and harmful data-driven policymaking.³

Women are crucial in data science, and for this blog, we want you to get to know an inspiring woman who is making a mark in the data science world.

We had an amazing opportunity to interview Hui Xiang Chua, a Senior Data Scientist at Dataiku, a machine learning and artificial intelligence company that was formed in 2013. Today, Dataiku is the leading platform in helping companies democratise access to data and develop their own path to AI.⁴

Hui Xiang has spent over 6 years in the public sector and 2 years in the media industry, having both public and private experiences in solving problems with data.

Hui Xiang was accepted for the Data Science for Social Good Fellowship in 2017 and mentored by Rayid Ghani, the Obama for America campaign's Chief Scientist in 2012. She also received the KDD Impact Program award from SIGKDD (Special Interest Group for Knowledge Discovery and Data Mining), the Association for Computing Machinery's special interest group on knowledge discovery and data mining, for integrating data science into a high school's curriculum.

To date, she manages the Data Double Confirm data science blog, which was named one of MastersInDataScience.com's Top 100 Data Science Resources for 2018-2019.

Keep reading to be inspired by Hui Xiang's data science journey!

Rayid Ghani (Left) and Hui Xiang Chua (Right) at the KDD 2018 Conference in London, where Chua was presented with the KDD Impact Award.

 

What was your first job and tell us your experience in job hunting as a young professional?

Hui Xiang: My first job was [as] an analyst at CPF [Central Provident Fund] Board, a statutory board in Singapore. I was awarded a Mid-Term Undergraduate Scholarship in my third year of undergraduate studies, which meant that I didn't have to hunt for a job after graduation as I had to serve a bond with the CPF Board. However, it was a deliberate decision when I chose CPF Board as the future employer as they have a lot of data to work with and have been using data to support policy reviews; I wanted to be part of making a positive impact on the lives of Singaporeans through evidence-based decision making.

 

What do you like about your job? What excites you to go to work every day?

H: I would say that I'm someone who's curious about many things and how they work, so learning about business problems and processes of different organisations is exciting as I get to interact with clients from various industries. I also have to research and think to be able to advise how their data can be used to improve existing processes and bring value. It gives me a sense of satisfaction to see people becoming better at what they do. 

 

What are the changes that have you observed in the industry after the pandemic?

H: The pandemic really differentiates companies that are digital-ready and digital-savvy from the rest as they are the least impacted, and appear to be more resilient. For example, if the data infrastructure is in the cloud (instead of on-premise), it makes the transition to working from home much easier. Also, with communication tools that allow us to easily reach counterparts across different parts of the world, we are able to support one another even though we are not together physically. The pandemic further emphasises the importance of technology in enabling business continuity and efficiency.   

 

What are the traits or skills you are looking for in a teammate or colleague and how do you find them?

H: It's fortunate that I have very supportive bosses and colleagues who were patient with me and willing to give me feedback. They were always there when I needed help. I think being able to collaborate well in teams is especially important because there are so many things to be done in such little time and we have to tap on one another's strengths to deliver well. 

 

What is the best thing that happened to you in your career and how were you able to do / get it?

H: I think the best thing that happened was getting accepted into the Data Science for Social Good fellowship in 2017, which has a less than 10 percent acceptance rate. We got to be mentored by Rayid Ghani, Chief Scientist of the Obama for America campaign in 2012. The fellowship has been pivotal in my data science growth where I gained experience relating to running data science projects, building data pipelines, coding in Python, using Github to facilitate a collaborative environment for programming and project management. I was really keen to know the best practices behind successful data science projects tackling social issues and see them in action, and apply what I would learn after the fellowship. I was mostly learning from reading whitepapers and didn't really have strong technical guidance then.

 

Whose career inspires you and why? What's a common misconception that people have about your role?

H: There isn't one single person in particular but more in general, all those who have exhibited strength in pushing for what they believe can make the world a better place (be it tackling climate change or supporting humanitarian efforts, etc.) or showing the world what can be achieved through grit, hard work, and compassion. I suppose one misconception is that we, as data scientists, can solve all the problems businesses have through analysing their data. Sometimes the answer doesn't lie within the data we have but this can only be known after we have performed the analysis. 

 

What is your career advice to an aspiring STEM professional who wants to follow your footsteps?

H: Think about what matters most to you and remember why you decided to embark on this journey. This might be cliche but passion and belief really make a difference in navigating life and influencing the kind of goals you have in life. I decided to study Statistics for my undergraduate degree and continue to push for evidence-based decision making because I think this approach will help us prioritise resources and improve people's lives through delivering help to those who need them the most/in the most effective and efficient manner.  

 

Any message to your 25-year-old self?

H: Thank you for working hard and not hesitating to do the Master of Science (Business Analytics) program on a part-time basis!

 

Now, that’s what girl power looks like!

Hui Xiang Chua is certainly an extraordinary gal. Her hard work and efforts did not go in vain and our world truly does need more women like her.

Hui Xiang explored what sparked her interest and followed her passion for data science. She remains eager to learn and also cherishes the people she works with. So, just like Hui Xiang, find your passion and embrace it! Don’t be afraid to defy gender gaps and show the world what you’re made of!

You can check out Hui Xiang’s data science blog here.

 

Continue to take a closer look at STEM careers with Outwiths! Stay tuned for our next blogs!

 

References:

1. https://www.ibm.com/cloud/learn/data-science-introduction

2. https://studyonline.aston.ac.uk/news/2020/11/23/why-women-data-science-are-crucial-data-driven-world

3. https://www.cgdev.org/blog/why-world-needs-more-women-data-scientists

4. https://www.dataiku.com/

 

Created on: 1 November 2021