Alumni

Previous Degree/Institution: Master of Science in Computer Science at The George Washington University
Program: MDS Okanagan Class of 2025

The MDS curriculum covered the full spectrum of data science concepts—from data collection and data wrangling to analysis and visualization. We also had courses in machine learning, deep learning, and optimization, giving us both practical skills and a strong theoretical foundation. The program is definitely intensive. It’s a 10-month accelerated program with four courses each month, eight class per week, and a heavy load of assignments and labs. Beyond the technical training, the program also offers great workshops and valuable connections with alumni, which are an incredible resource. Many alumni even return as mentors to support current students, which adds a lot of value to the overall experience.

About Teng Li

Originally from China, Teng Li earned her Bachelor of Software Engineering from Taiyuan University of Technology and her Master of Science in Computer Science from The George Washington University. Before joining the Master of Data Science program at UBC Okanagan, she gained four years of professional experience in both the United States and China. Now graduated, Teng works as a Research and Development Engineer at Synopsys, a multinational electronic design automation company. Read Teng’s story.

Previous Degree: Bachelor of Technology, Electrical and Electronics Engineering from Shiv Nadar University
Program: MDS Vancouver, Class of 2025

When I was in my third year of my bachelor’s degree, I quickly realized how data science was becoming pivotal in every industry. With the advent of modern GPUs and computing power, I felt it was only a matter of time before everyone joined this bandwagon. What excited me the most was the possibility of applying data science across industries helping companies succeed through data-driven insights and, at the same time, learning about different domains along the way.

About Dhruv Garg

After completing his Bachelor of Technology, Electrical and Electronics Engineering from Shiv Nadar University, Dhruv was working as a data scientist in India for a couple of US-based startups. Dhruv’s experiences gave him exposure to different facets of the data science field. Dhruv wanted a more formal education in data science to deepen his understanding of core concepts and found the balance between practical skills and theory that MDS offered was exactly what he was looking for. When not in MDS, Dhruv enjoys going to the gym, swimming, running and hiking as well reading Manga. Read Dhruv’s story.

Previous Degree: Master’s of Speech Language Pathology from McGill University
Program: MDS Computational Linguistics, Class of 2025

As a linguistics expert of sorts, I wanted to take my existing expertise and apply it in a more ‘big picture’ kind of way; data science felt like a perfect fit because it allows me to apply language science to large-scale problems and their solutions. 

About Tim Christilaw

Tim Christilaw has a Master’s of Speech Language Pathology from McGill University and was working as a speech pathologist when he was starting to feel burn out and looking for a change. Tim saw the MDS Computational Linguistics program as a way to take his linguistics background and bridge that to the data science and technology industry. Outside of MDS Computational Linguistics, Tim enjoys board games, Dungeons & Dragons, Magic: the Gathering, movies, skateboarding, mixing cocktails, and cooking! Read Tim’s story.

Previous Degree: Bachelor of Science, Cognitive Neuroscience - Literature/Writing & Design Minor from UC San Diego
Program: MDS Computational Linguistics, Class of 2025

While working on large-scale translation projects, I kept thinking about all the untapped potential in the language data I was organizing. I wanted to analyze, model, and build with it, not just collect it. The idea of computational linguistics—using data science and machine learning to understand and create with language—felt like the missing link. When I discovered MDS Computational, it was immediately clear this was the path I’d been looking for: a place where my love of language and my interest in math, logic, and programming could finally come together.

About Nicole Lopez

Before starting the MDS Computational Linguistics program, Nicole spent three years as a content designer in San Diego, working on digital products ranging from mortgage payment applications to diabetes management tools at Dexcom. During her time at Dexcom, Nicole found herself managing large translation projects, collecting and organizing massive amounts of company language data. Nicole found that the MDS Computational Linguistics program combined her love of language and her interest in math, logic, and programming. Outside of MDS Computational Linguistics, Nicole is a SCUBA instructor and triathlete (fun fact: Nicole completed a half-iron man one month into the program). A San Diego-native, Nicole took advantage of all that Vancouver had to offer from skiing at Cypress, going trail running, and attending local live music events and film festivals. Read Nicole’s story.
 

Previous Degree: Bachelor of Science in Biology from the University of British Columbia About Stephanie Ta
Program: MDS Vancouver, Class of 2025

My desire to contribute to the community, particularly in healthcare, aligned with my ambition to pursue the MDS program. I envision applying data-driven solutions to streamline onboarding processes, enhance volunteer management, and mitigate the effects of staffing shortages. My goal is to utilize the skills and knowledge acquired through the MDS program to drive positive change and improve the overall efficiency and quality of healthcare services.

About Stephanie Ta

Stephanie completed her Bachelor of Science in Biology from the University of British Columbia in 2024. During her bachelor’s, Ta took DSCI 100 and 310, and completed UBC Extended Learning’s “Key Capabilities in Data Science Certificate” program. This coursework confirmed how much Ta enjoyed learning and applying data science, and MDS felt like the right next step to build on those skills.  Outside of MDS, Ta loves to knit, go bouldering, or hiking. Read Stephanie’s story.

Previous Degree: Master of Science in Biochemistry from the University of British Columbia Okanagan
Program: MDS Okanagan, Class of 2024

One of the program’s greatest strengths was how closely the coursework reflected real-world applications. From day one, we worked with real datasets, built predictive models, and applied our analysis to challenges that directly mirrored industry needs. The assignments were designed to simulate practical, real-world scenarios, and frequent presentations helped enhance our ability to communicate technical insights to non-experts. The Capstone project, in particular, was an invaluable experience. We worked directly with a company’s data, essentially functioning as their data scientists. This hands-on exposure not only equipped me to tackle real-world challenges, but also helped expand my professional network in the data science field.

About Nijiati Abulizi

Prior to joining MDS Okanagan, Nijiati completed both his Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Biochemistry at UBC Okanagan. Having completed his Master of Data Science, Nijiati aspires to work in the healthcare sector as a data scientist or bioinformatician. Read Nijiati’s story.

Previous Degree: Master’s in Information Technology, Computer Science from Universidad de Los Andes
Program: MDS Computational Linguistics, Class of 2024

I was very interested in pursuing a career in Natural Language Processing and Artificial Intelligence. The UBC Master of Data Science program in Computational Linguistics teaches the last trends in NLP unlike other programs and it has advanced my understanding of NLP.

About Daniel Jimenez

Prior to entering the MDS Computational Linguistics program, Daniel Jimenez was working as a software developer with Amazon. Daniel’s favourite course during the MDS Computational Linguistics program was ‘Trends in Computational Linguistics’ because it taught the advancements in NLP.  Outside of classes, Daniel joined UBC’s Surf Club that allowed him to explore different parts of British Columbia and have fun while meeting new people. Daniel can also be found using UBC’s Aquatic Centre’s hot tub to help him recharge. Read Daniel’s story.

Previous Degree: Master's of Philosophy in Physics from The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology
Program: MDS Vancouver, Class of 2024

Over nearly a decade, I self-taught necessary skills in data science and software development. However, to overcome professional growth limitations and solidify my expertise for long-term success, I decided to strengthen my foundation through another master's program.

About John Shiu 

Before (and even throughout) the MDS program, John worked as a Portfolio Manager at CryptAM.fund, a specialized cryptocurrency hedge fund. This role involved significant data analysis related to financial data, the development and maintenance of in-house trading systems, and business decision-making with senior management. John is taking what he has learned in several MDS courses and applying it back to his organization. When not studying data science, John enjoyed driving, Muay Tahi and skiing around Metro Vancouver. Read John’s story.

Previous Degree: Bachelor’s in Science, in Data Science and Artificial Intelligence from Nanyang Technological University Singapore
Program: MDS Computational Linguistics, Class of 2024

My interest in data science actually stemmed from my interest in Linguistics. When choosing my Bachelor’s degree, I only chose Data Science because I wanted to do something related to both Mathematics and Linguistics, and in a very convoluted way, I ended up finding out about Natural Language Processing, which then led me to Data Science.

About Claudia Beth Ong

Claudia completed her Bachelor’s in Science, in Data Science and Artificial Intelligence from Nanyang Technological University Singapore in 2023. After finishing her undergraduate degree, Claudia had a dilemma: accept a job offer or accept UBC MDS Computational Linguistics offer. In the end, Claudia chose attending the MDS Computational Linguistics program to further her education in NLP and gain overseas experience. Outside of MDS Computational Linguistics, Claudia enjoys going to spin classes, going to beach and walking around downtown Vancouver as it reminds her of her native Singapore. Read Claudia’s story.

Previous Degree: Master of Science in Epidemiology from Stanford University
Program: MDS Vancouver, Class of 2024

My interest in data science comes from studying epidemiology, which in a way is the data science of medicine. While studying epidemiology you learn lots of statistics, especially causal inference, and you learn how best to set up experiments to investigate research questions. I learned how to code in R, and I wrote my master’s thesis on some models I had created while looking for an association between personal-best mile time and bone stress injuries in collegiate cross-country athletes. I loved all the classes that I took in that program, but I also graduated wishing I had taken more statistics, and that I knew how to code in other languages.

About Merete Lutz

After graduating with a Master’s in Epidemiology from Stanford University, Merete pursued a career as a professional volleyball player playing in leagues in Italy, South Korea, and Japan. After retiring from the sport, Merete wanted to further her education and saw data science as a way to learn more about what she loved about epidemiology. Merete chose the UBC MDS program because it was in Vancouver, only 10 months long, targeted towards those without data science backgrounds, and really seemed to be focused on preparing students for careers in data science. Outside MDS, Merete enjoys playing tennis, doing pottery (hobbies she picked up during the program) and cooking. Read Merete’s story.