From psychology to data science – meet Farah
Images: https://www.agilytic.be/blog/meet-farah-senior-data-scientist
What does a data scientist at Agilytic do day-to-day? Whether prioritizing business requirements, managing data collection, providing reports, modeling data, analyzing results, interpreting trends and patterns, or communicating the outcomes and next steps with clients - it’s a dynamic role that requires analytical skills and a problem-solving mindset.
Farah Martens is a Senior Data Scientist at Agilytic. Her interest in data analysis and visualization sparked while working with complex brain data as an academic researcher. We sat down with Farah to reflect on her leap into data science and journey with us so far.
Tell us a bit about yourself - who is Farah?
I’m 33 years old and live near Leuven together with my boyfriend and 1.5 kids, one on the way! I have a Ph.D. in Cognitive Neuroscience and Psychology from KU Leuven. And I joined Agilytic in early 2019 as a Data Scientist.
Can you share more about your background and education? And how did it lead you to what you do now?
When I started studying, there wasn’t an option to do a master’s in data science yet. It wasn’t such a well-known field, more up-and-coming.
I began my practice as a psychologist and wanted to do research in psychology. After my Ph.D., I wanted to leave academia but still practice the analytical skills I gained from research. In my research, I was comfortable with data analytics and using statistical packages to analyze large data sets of complex brain data. We used MatLab to custom code our analytics scripts.
I may have an unconventional road to data science, but I know of multiple people who applied their analytical mindset from academia to re-skill and join this field. While the data and statistics tools can be different, you can definitely become a data scientist if you apply yourself.
What is your role at Agilytic, and how has it evolved?
The business world was new to me when I joined Agilytic, but I started on a smaller project together with another Data Scientist to have a hands-on introduction. We’re given a lot of learn-by-doing opportunities with new challenges, techniques, and programs. I’ve definitely evolved and have much more skills compared to when I started.
Data science is still a relatively young field and is eternally expanding. Companies that haven’t jumped on board yet will or should do so very soon. I can see myself specializing in one or a few areas of data science one day. I try to spend time on training when I can to learn about new subfields and techniques.
Of course, with every new project, there’s a little discomfort and adjustment, as it’s like starting a new job. You need to get to know the IT architecture, the people, the data they work with, the new goal at hand, and what is more or less important in the client’s eyes. I know how to communicate with clients and present results clearly, and I also know how to recognize when I need a knowledge refresh. Over time I think I’ve become more self-sufficient and autonomous in my role.
We’re celebrating your three-year work anniversary here. How do you feel about your experience looking back?
I’ve had many opportunities to learn a lot of different sides of the job. So every few weeks or months, there's a chance to learn something new with each project starting. It encourages me to pursue new trainings and is a big advantage of working at Agilytic.
What is it about Agilytic that drew you in?
I came from a small lab in academia where, like at Agilytic, you’re close with one another - everyone knows everyone, and you know exactly who to turn to. Here, everyone does their best to deliver quality work, yet the atmosphere is more casual. We have a small-scale, open culture where you feel heard. I wanted that feeling rather than being employee number x at a larger company.
What do you think is unique about our services?
What I like about Agilytic is that we are clear on what is manageable and bring real value to our clients with effective means. We deliver on what we will say can happen and avoid wasting time and money with unnecessary technology and buzzwords. That means we get feedback that our services are especially useful for the client.
At first, many companies were approaching data science with ‘one-shot’ analytics projects - they had a dataset and wanted to know what kind of value could come from it. More projects are moving away from this approach as data comes in larger amounts and gets more complex. For example, we work more to automate analyses by creating and installing the right data infrastructure, modeling, reporting, and setting up visualization so the client can use it continuously to help their business. This helps to ensure a project has more long-term value.
Do you feel that you are still being challenged and that you are still growing?
Yes, definitely, especially over the years and compared to the beginning, I have more tasks when it comes to managing the projects I work on. With my recent promotion to Senior Data Scientist, I will have more responsibility. I’m looking forward to helping and coaching more junior colleagues.
Also, I work a bit on the recruitment side by overseeing our data cases during the interview process. I’ve worked on my ability to recognize the potential in candidates. Of course, that means giving proper feedback and, sometimes, bad news. Being an entrepreneurial organization means we have to step up in other business areas sometimes, and I like that I can help in this way.
What gets you most excited about coming to work?
I enjoy being around my colleagues and our tradition of eating pains au chocolat on Fridays!
What’s your favorite part about working with our team?
I like that we have an open-to-sharing culture. I feel like I can say my ideas. What helps is we have a relatively flat hierarchy, so I don’t have to go through many layers to speak with our managing team.
Which qualities in a data scientist do you consider to be the most important?
You have to have an analytical mindset. Especially when working with clients, you should be able to be flexible and go with the flow as demands can change over a project’s duration. Also important is being eager to learn - as it’s a fast and expanding field. I also believe you need an eye for detail to deliver quality work.
What do you like to do for fun?
I love to travel and enjoy planning trip itineraries. A few years ago, we went to South America for a few months and received certifications in scuba diving. It’s really calming as you only hear the bubbles under the water, and it’s quite a sportive activity. Since then, I’ve scuba-dived in Greece, which was beautiful.
A big thanks to Farah for your hard work, your big smile, and for sharing your reflections with us. Also, a happy work-iversary, here’s to many more!
