2025 MADS Immersion: Full Schedule

Jay Aikat is vice dean of UNC-Chapel Hill’s School of Data Science and Society since July 2022. She is also a research professor in the department of computer science at UNC-Chapel Hill. In 2015, she served on a short-term assignment as a data scientist at NIEHS (National Insti... Read More →

Emma Dehne

Director of MADS Program, UNC School of Data Science and Society

Emma Dehne is Director of the MADS program. Before joining the School of Data Science and Society in 2022, she served the university for ten years in the Office of the Provost and Executive Vice Chancellor and in the School of Medicine.Dehne was born and raised in New York City, and... Read More →

Friday March 14, 2025 9:45am - 10:00am EDT
The Great Hall (2300), Carolina Union

10:00am EDT

Group Engagement Activity

Friday March 14, 2025 10:00am - 10:15am EDT

The Great Hall (2300), Carolina Union

Speakers

Anna Rose Medley

Assistant Dean and Chief of Staff to Dean Ahalt, UNC School of Data Science and Society

Anna Rose Medley is assistant dean and the chief of staff to Dean Ahalt for the School of Data Science and Society. She has served the university in the Office of the Chancellor since 2013 and worked on a variety of pan-university initiatives and projects, notably, The Tar Heel B... Read More →

Friday March 14, 2025 10:00am - 10:15am EDT
The Great Hall (2300), Carolina Union

10:15am EDT

Data Voids and Echo Chambers: The Transformative Journey of Search and its Consequences

Friday March 14, 2025 10:15am - 11:00am EDT

The Great Hall (2300), Carolina Union

In an era dominated by information accessibility, the question of how we search is paramount. "Doing our own research" has become a ubiquitous facet of daily life, but the world of search is dramatically changing. This presentation delves into the intricate dynamics shaping the way we perceive and interact with the world of search. It scrutinizes how our worldviews impact keywords and how these phrases shape the information returned to us. It will also explore the interconnected nature of various online platforms, explaining how absence of information on Wikipedia can reverberate, impacting AI systems trained on that data (e.g., AI Overviews or ChatGPT). Central to the discussion is the concept of "data voids" — instances where information vacuums are created and exploited for political or corporate gain. By examining these voids, the presentation aims to unravel the complex interplay between user-driven content generation and the manipulation of information landscapes by external forces.

Speakers

Francesca Tripodi

MADS Lead Faculty, School of Information and Library Science, Associate Professor

Francesca Tripodi serves as lead faculty in the master of applied data science program. She also is an associate professor at the UNC School of Information and Library Science, a senior faculty researcher with the Center for Information, Technology, and Public Life and an affil... Read More →

Friday March 14, 2025 10:15am - 11:00am EDT
The Great Hall (2300), Carolina Union

11:00am EDT

BREAK

Friday March 14, 2025 11:00am - 11:15am EDT

11:15am EDT

My Data Science Career: How I Got Here

Friday March 14, 2025 11:15am - 12:00pm EDT

The Great Hall (2300), Carolina Union

In this talk, Dr. Ashok Krishnamurthy will tie the threads of his career together to showcase why he calls himself a data scientist today. Dr. Krishnamurthy has been an academic for over 40 years, and during this time, he has worked on a variety of things. He started out analyzing images of the vocal cords taken with a high-speed camera, moved to studying speech synthesis and recognition, and then to understanding human hearing. His field at that time was called Digital Signal Processing, but the common thread in all of his work was the analysis of data in different domains. So, the leap to calling himself a data scientist for the last 12 years of his career was a logical one. His current research focus lies in health data, from electronic health records to waveforms to biomedical images.

Speakers

Ashok Krishnamurthy

MADS Lead Faculty, Renaissance Computing Institute (RENCI), Director

Ashok Krishnamurthy is teaching Programming Methods for Data Science in the master of applied data science program. He is also the director of the Renaissance Computing Institute (RENCI) and a research professor of computer science at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill... Read More →

Friday March 14, 2025 11:15am - 12:00pm EDT
The Great Hall (2300), Carolina Union

12:00pm EDT

LUNCH

Friday March 14, 2025 12:00pm - 12:30pm EDT

The Great Hall (2300), Carolina Union

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Friday March 14, 2025 12:00pm - 12:30pm EDT
The Great Hall (2300), Carolina Union

12:30pm EDT

Industry and Government "Meet the Experts" Panel

Friday March 14, 2025 12:30pm - 1:30pm EDT

The Great Hall (2300), Carolina Union

This is a panel discussion featuring leading data science experts from various industry sectors and state government. This session offers students an opportunity to better understand the diverse landscape of data science careers, explore how roles and responsibilities differ across sectors, and gain valuable knowledge for building a successful career path. Our panelists will share their professional journeys, discuss skills essential for today's data scientists and offer valuable advice on job searching and career advancement. This panel will provide you with insider knowledge of the data science career journey and offer guidance on navigating this dynamic and evolving field.

Speakers

Joyce Tan

Office of Cross-Sector Partnerships, Director, UNC School of Data Science and Society

John Van Hoy

Executive Director, Data Science & Advanced Analytics, PPD, part of Thermo Fisher Scientific, United States

John Van Hoy is Executive Director of Data Science & Advanced Analytics at PPD, a Thermo Fisher Scientific company. He has been in the life sciences industry for 20 years, with roles that span clinical trial operations, management consulting, and functional leadership. John has... Read More →

Adam Silva

Lead Artificial Intelligence Specialist, Duke Energy

Adam Silva is the Lead Artificial Intelligence Specialist at Duke Energy, where he spearheads innovative AI projects and collaborates with top industry experts. He has played a pivotal role in the development of Duke Energy's AI practice, which has delivered over $500M in value through... Read More →

David Yokum

Chief Scientist for North Carolina, Office of State Budget and Management

David Yokum serves as North Carolina’s Chief Scientist in the Office of State Budget and Management. He is also Professor of the Practice at UNC-Chapel Hill’s School of Data Science & Society, where he directs The Policy Lab. David was previously director of The Lab @ DC in the D.C. Mayor... Read More →

Rachini Moosavi

Chief Analytics Officer, UNC Health

As Chief Analytics Officer at UNC Health, Rachini Moosavi leads the organization's data, analytics, and AI enablement strategy. She frequently shares her insights with industry leaders on leveraging technology, analytics, and conscious leadership to reimagine healthcare and ourselves... Read More →

Friday March 14, 2025 12:30pm - 1:30pm EDT
The Great Hall (2300), Carolina Union

1:30pm EDT

BREAK + TRANSITION TIME TO BREAKOUT SESSIONS

Friday March 14, 2025 1:30pm - 1:45pm EDT

1:45pm EDT

Afternoon Breakout: Data Science Career Trends & Portfolio Building (Session I)

Friday March 14, 2025 1:45pm - 2:15pm EDT

Career Advising Breakout Room, The Carolina Union

This session offers a high-level overview of key data science hiring trends, the most in-demand skills, and insight into how companies evaluate candidates. We’ll discuss networking strategies, leveraging LinkedIn, and projects to unlock career opportunities. Additionally, we’ll explore what makes a strong portfolio, how to showcase technical skills and business impact, and best practices for GitHub and personal websites. Finally, we’ll cover job search tactics, including optimizing applications, and interview prep. By the end, you’ll have actionable insights to stand out in the job market.

Speakers

Rei Sanchez-Arias

MADS Faculty Director, UNC School of Data Science and Society, Teaching Assistant Professor

Rei Sanchez-Arias joins the School of Data Science and Society (SDSS) at UNC-Chapel Hill as a teaching faculty and faculty director for the Master of Applied Data Science (MADS) program. He was most recently an associate professor of data science and assistant chair in the department... Read More →

Stephanie Johnson

Director of Career Services, UNC-CH Department of Computer Science

As the Director of Career Services for the UNC-Chapel Hill Department of Computer Science, Stephanie Johnson develops and implements programmatic strategies to support the career advancement of over 1,800 students. She oversees all career initiatives, leads a team of Computer Science... Read More →

Friday March 14, 2025 1:45pm - 2:15pm EDT
Career Advising Breakout Room, The Carolina Union

1:45pm EDT

Afternoon Breakout Session: New Headshot

Friday March 14, 2025 1:45pm - 3:00pm EDT

248 Hanes Hall

Friday March 14, 2025 1:45pm - 3:00pm EDT
248 Hanes Hall

1:45pm EDT

Afternoon Breakout: Faculty Office Hours

Friday March 14, 2025 1:45pm - 3:00pm EDT

The Great Hall (2300), Carolina Union

Friday March 14, 2025 1:45pm - 3:00pm EDT
The Great Hall (2300), Carolina Union

2:20pm EDT

Afternoon Breakout: Data Science Career Trends & Portfolio Building (Session II)

Friday March 14, 2025 2:20pm - 2:50pm EDT

Career Advising Breakout Room, The Carolina Union

Speakers

Rei Sanchez-Arias

MADS Faculty Director, UNC School of Data Science and Society, Teaching Assistant Professor

Stephanie Johnson

Director of Career Services, UNC-CH Department of Computer Science

Friday March 14, 2025 2:20pm - 2:50pm EDT
Career Advising Breakout Room, The Carolina Union

3:15pm EDT

Campus Tour

Friday March 14, 2025 3:15pm - 4:15pm EDT

Led by staff from the UNC Visitors Center

Friday March 14, 2025 3:15pm - 4:15pm EDT