Students and Alumni

UBC MDS attracts bright minds from a wide range of backgrounds. Find out more about our students and alumni read about what they were doing prior to joining the program, their experience during the program, and their journey ahead.

Vancouver

Alumni

Employment Status 6 and 12 Months After Graduation

Employment Positions

Data Science Consultant/Contractor Software Engineer
Software Developer/Data Engineer Research and Innovation Intern
Data Scientist Machine Learning Engineer
Data Management Engineer Consultant
Data Manager Technical Business Analyst
Data Engineer Analyst
Data Analyst Faculty, Operations Management
Research Analyst Application Architect
Faculty/Data Analyst in Residence Artificial Intelligence Industry Analyst Intern
Computational Biologist Business Intelligence Engineer
Senior Data Analyst Data Intelligence Platform Analyst
Business Insights Analyst Quantitative Analyst
Manager Finance and Strategy Fraud Modeler
Machine Learning Developer Senior Data Scientist
Director of Data and Technology Specialist of the Department of Analysis and Strategy
Predictive Analyst Machine Learning Developer
Simulation Manager Director, Compensation Data and Research
Associate Director of Marketing Analytics Manager, Visualization and Support

Job Location

Alumni Incomes

Top Industries Worked In

* Based on MDS Vancouver alumni survey responses 6 months and 1 year after graduation since the class of 2017.

Students

Previous Degree

Where Students Come From

Previous Degree Level

Gender Identification

Years Since Last Degree

Class Size

* Based on all MDS Vancouver cohorts since the class of 2017.

Okanagan

Alumni

Employment Status 6 and 12 Months After Graduation

Employment Positions

Senior Analytics Specialist Data Analyst, Enterprise Business Intelligence Team
Data Science Research Assistant Data Developer
Public Health Epidemiologist Data Analyst
Research Analyst Data visualization analyst
Senior Data Scientist Director Industry AI
Quality Assurance Engineer Machine Learning engineer
Director, Research and Data Science Data Scientist & Engineer
Data Scientist  

Job Location

Alumni Incomes

Top Industries Worked In

* Based on MDS Okanagan alumni survey responses 6 months and 1 year after graduation since the class of 2019.

Students

Previous degree

Geography

Previous Degree Level

Years Since Last Degree

Gender Identification

Class Size

* Based on all MDS Okanagan cohorts since the class of 2019.

Computational Linguistics

Alumni

Employment Status 6 Months After Graduation

Employment Positions

Data Analyst Developer
Agile Developer Data Scientist
Software Developer Data Science Intern
Business intelligence developer NLP/Deep Learning Engineer
Language Engineer Machine Learning Engineer
NLU Language Consultant Data Engineer
NLP Machine Learning Engineer AI Developer
Data Extraction Developer Marketing Data Scientist
NLP Data Scientist Software Engineer - NLP/NLU
Computational Linguist Senior Data Analyst
Senior AI Engineer Prompt Engineer

Job Location

Alumni Incomes

Top Industries Worked In

* Based on MDS Computational Linguistics alumni survey responses 6 months after graduation since the class of 2020.

Students

Previous Degree

Geography

Previous degree

Years Since Last Degree

Gender Identification

Class Size

* Based on all MDS Computational Linguistics cohorts since the class of 2020.

Student and Alumni Profiles

All

Class of 2022

Jacqueline Chong Master of Data Science Vancouver

Jacqueline Chong, MDS Vancouver, Class of 2022

"I believe this program has equipped me with the technical know-hows to embark on a project whenever I am called upon to do so, and be an effective conduit between data scientists / engineers and the project lead."

Previous Degree: Bachelor of Science in International Relations from the London School of Economics
Program: MDS Vancouver, Class of 2022

Several summer internship stints in the public service in Singapore made me realize that I have a knowledge gap in terms of effectively dealing with large swaths of data. As such, I felt that it was necessary to arm myself with the technical knowledge to solve organizational pain points and drive innovation when I return back home.

About Jacqueline Chong

Before the MDS Vancouver program, Jacqueline received her undergraduate degree in International Relations from London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE). While studying about global politics through the lens of major theories, Jacqueline wondered why these major theories were not backed up quantitatively. Thus, the academic pursuit of data science was born for her. When not studying MDS, Jacqueline is an avid triathlete, where she spends her free time either in the pool, on the track/park, or exploring BC by bike. You will also find Jacqueline binging the latest Korean drama. Read Jacqueline’s story,
 

Nihal D'Souza MDS Computational Linguistics

Nihal D’Souza, MDS Computational Linguistics, Class of 2022

"The UBC MDS Computational Linguistics program was lucrative as it covered a breadth of topics from computer science, statistics, and linguistics within a relatively short time frame of 10 months, allowing me to go back into the industry as soon as possible."

Previous Degree: Bachelors of Computer Science and Engineering from The National Institute of Engineering
Program: MDS Computational Linguistics, Class of 2022

I was fascinated by the advancements in human-machine interaction through natural language and how this field was developing. Some of these advancements are the applications of machine translation, sentiment analysis, and computational morphology. To be able to understand these topics and be equipped to apply them in the real world, it made sense to pursue my higher education in this field. 

About Nihal D’Souza

Prior to joining the MDS Computational Linguistics program, Nihal completed his bachelor’s degree in computer science and engineering from The National Institute of Engineering. Nihal worked for almost three years as a Software Engineer at Cisco. Nihal applied to the MDS Computational Linguistics program because of UBC’s great reputation, its vast resources, and its incredible faculty. In his down time, Nihal enjoys running, swimming and the occasional hike as well as grabbing drinks with friends on the weekends. Read Nihal’s story.
 

Ruben Master of Data Science Vancouver

Rubén De la Garza Macías, MDS Vancouver, Class of 2022

"The MDS program is one the highest-rated data science programs in Canada. It is a program that prepares you to work in data science as soon as you finish."

Previous Degree: Bachelor of Industrial Engineering from Tecnológico de Monterrey
Prior Experience: SaaS Implementation & Analytics Consultant – Logistics, BTC Business Transformation Consulting
Program: MDS Vancouver, Class of 2022

My job as a consultant made me realize how much I loved analyzing and working with data. I was also able to see how powerful it can be to automate processes to clean, gather summarized statistics and relevant patterns from data, especially when it is big.

About Rubén De la Garza Macías 

Prior to joining the MDS program, Rubén was working as a SaaS implementation consultant, mainly focused on supply chain optimization software. Rubén credits the MDS program for giving him the data science skills needed for him to kickstart his data science career and eventually hopes to start his own data science consulting practice. In his spare time, Rubén enjoys playing music and even brought his guitar with him to Vancouver. Read Rubén’s story.
 

Saisree Gownipalli Ramanaiah Master of Data Science Okanagan

Saisree Gownipalli Ramanaiah, MDS Okanagan, Class of 2022

"Since data science was my goal, I was looking for a top university that either focused on data science or had a master of computer science program with a thesis option with a hope to research in data science."

Previous Degree: Bachelor of Engineering in Electronics and Communication Engineering from St.Joseph’s College of Engineering, India
Program: MDS Okanagan, Class of 2022

Before the MDS Okanagan program, I was working as a Senior Systems Engineer with Infosys and saw firsthand how data driven decisions are impactful. This encouraged me to explore machine learning to optimize businesses. Getting a master’s degree in something that excited me felt like a good start. The University of British Columbia reputation as a top-ranked university with great research support led me to choose the Master of Data Science program and the university. There, I worked on a data science project as a researcher in addition to being a full-time student. Having now completed the program, I am looking forward to applying the knowledge I gained from the MDS program to pursue data scientist and machine learning engineer roles with an interest in data modeling that drive business decisions.

About Saisree Gownipalli Ramanaiah

Originally from India, Saisree obtained her Bachelor of Engineering in Electronics and Communication Engineering from St. Joseph’s College of Engineering. Following time as a Senior Systems Engineer with Infosys, Saisree decided to return to school in hopes of pursuing a career in data science. The world-class infrastructure and access to learning resources, along with UBC’s reputation as a top 40 university, convinced Saisree that UBCO was the right place for her. Having now completed the program, Saisree is excited to apply the expertise learned over the course of the program and is planning on pursuing data scientist and machine learning engineer roles in the future. Read Saisree’s story.
 

Saffrin Granby, MDS Computational Linguistics

Saffrin Granby, Decision Support Advisor at Vancouver Coastal Health

"I felt that this program really combined my love for linguistics and my previous experience in computer science. I like using my technical skills and my ideal career involves me working with language data so I felt like the MDS Computational Linguistics program was a good match."

Previous Degree: Bachelor of Science in Cognitive Systems from the University of British Columbia
Program: MDS Computational Linguistics, Class of 2022

I think data science is being used to solve a lot of really cool problems. Natural language data that can be used for really impactful applications such as improving health care or flighting climate change. It feels like a really important field right now. I knew I wanted to pursue a career in data science but a lot of the positions required or strongly preferred a Master’s level education. I liked that the program was only 10-months long and that I would be able to focus specially on state-of-the art NLP techniques.

About Saffrin Granby

Saffrin completed her Bachelor of Science in Cognitive Systems at UBC where she specialized in Computer Science. During her undergraduate degree, Saffrin worked at the CANARY lab at UBC where she worked on using linguistic features to detect the presence of Alzheimer’s disease. When not studying, Saffrin enjoys long bike rides and hanging out with friends by going on walks or trying restaurants together. Read Saffrin’s story.
 

Gavin Grochowski Master of Data Science Okanagan

Gavin Grochowski, MDS Okanagan, Class of 2022

"The top benefit of the program has been my outstanding peers – I have made lifelong friends that I respect and admire. The network of connections this program offers to previous alumni brings with it a wealth of opportunities to apply for relevant jobs."

Previous Degree: Bachelor of Music in Jazz Saxophone from Capilano University
Program: MDS Okanagan, Class of 2022

Before the MDS Okanagan program, I was working contract-to-contract as a cruise ship musician on international trips. Then, when the pandemic canceled my ongoing contracts, I got more and more curious about programming and data science fundamentals in an attempt to re-skill into a more sustainable and fulfilling career. The MDS Okanagan program is uniquely designed for students with technical abilities and interests, but not necessarily requiring a technical undergraduate degree – students exactly like me. 

About Gavin Grochowski

Originally from Vancouver, Gavin obtained his Bachelor of Music in Jazz Saxophone from Capilano University.  When his working situation changed as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, Gavin pivoted to re-skill into a more sustainable and fulfilling career. With a love for coding and problem solving, Gavin began looking for data science programs. UBCO’s reputation for quality of education, along with MDS Okanagan program is uniquely designed for students with technical abilities and interests, made it the right fit for Gavin. Having now completed the program, Gavin is excited to apply the technical skills learned over the course of the program to pursue employment as a Data Scientist or a Data Analyst in order to support key stakeholders in making key business decisions. Read Gavin’s story.
 

Sara Hall Master of Data Science Okanagan

Sara Hall, Data Scientist at riskthinking AI

"One of the best things about MDS is that it’s designed for people from pretty much any background, so you don’t need an undergraduate degree in computer science as you do for a lot of other programs."

Previous Degree: Bachelor of Science, Honours in Neuroscience from the University of Calgary
Program: MDS Okanagan, Class of 2022

During my undergrad, I found that the coursework I preferred was more analytical in nature. After taking a few computer science courses, I realized I wanted to learn how to apply computational methods to real-world problems. The structure of the program, designed for people from almost any educational background, along with the opportunity to learn in a small cohort, really tipped the scales in MDS-O’s favour. Now that I have come through the program, I have far more technical data science experience and the skills to continue learning on my own.

About Sara Hall

Sara obtained Bachelor of Science in in Neuroscience from the University of Calgary, before moving directly into the MDS Okanagan program. It was during her time completing her undergraduate degree where Sara fostered a desire to learn how to apply computational methods to real-world problems.  Situated in beautiful city of Kelowna, the MDS-O program, with its small cohort size and real-world experience through its capstone projects, caught Sara’s attention. Sara will look to apply the expertise taught in the MDS program on the Okanagan campus to pursue a career related to climate risk management. Read Sara's story.
 

Oksana Kurylo Computational Linguistics

Oksana Kurylo, MDS Computational Linguistics, Class of 2022

"I chose MDS Computational Linguistics as it offered a unique combination of data science and NLP courses. Also, a significant role in selecting MDS Computational Linguistics was the capstone project, where you can work on a real business problem with a company."

Previous Degree: Masters of Applied Linguistics from Lviv Polytechnic National University
Program: MDS Computational Linguistics, Class of 2022

As I was not from a Computer Science background, I wanted to get missing technical fundamentals and broaden my skill set to the data science toolkit. Also, it was essential to learn more about the state-of-the-art techniques in Natural Language Processing, namely Deep Learning for NLP.

About Oksana Kurylo

Before joining the MDS Computational Linguistics program, Oksana worked as a Computational Linguist and Natural Language Processing Researcher at several start-ups in her native Ukraine. It was while doing her first master's degree in Applied Linguistics from the Lviv Polytechnic National University, Oksana took a course on Computational Linguistics by Andriy Romanyuk, which opened a new world of Natural Language Processing for her. Outside of MDS Computational Linguistics, Oksana enjoys travelling. Read Oksana’s story.
 

Gautham - Master of Data Science Vancouver

Gautham Pughazhendhi, Software Engineer II – AI Platform at Electronic Arts

"I wanted to find a curriculum that will enable me to add data science skillsets to my software engineering toolbox. The UBC MDS program perfectly matched all these requirements making me want to be a part of this program."

Previous Degree: Bachelor of Engineering, Computer Science and Engineering from Anna University
Program: MDS Vancouver, Class of 2022

My bachelor’s capstone project was based on machine learning in which my team and I built a machine learning model to predict whether an earthquake can cause a tsunami given the earthquake characteristics. During my professional experience, I worked on building conversational AI agents for major multinational retail and financial corporations. All these contributions made me realize my interest in this field, and I wanted to pursue a professional master’s degree to gain in-depth academic knowledge.

About Gautham Pughazhendhi

After graduating with a Bachelor of Engineering, Computer Science and Engineering from Anna University, Gautham worked as a software engineer as part of a machine learning team at Sirius Computer Solutions, a CDW company. Because of the intense nature of the MDS program, Gautham credits the program for teaching him to manage my priorities efficiently and be productive. When not in class, avid swimmer, Gautham frequented the UBC Aquatic Center. Read Gautham’s story.
 

Nico Van den Hooff Master of Data Science Vancouver

Nico Van den Hooff, Machine Learning Engineer at Patriot One Technologies

"The UBC MDS program offered a great balance of the skills needed to succeed in machine learning and data science.  In addition, the 10-month duration of the program was very attractive as it was really the fastest way for me to pivot with additional education."
 

Previous Degree: Bachelor of Technology in Accounting from British Columbia Institute of Technology
Prior Experience: Senior Accountant / Consultant, KPMG
Program: MDS Vancouver, Class of 2022

At KPMG, I worked on a few projects where we utilized data analytics and data visualization which introduced me to the world of data science. I saw the value that data science could provide to companies, and after some time found my true passion which is machine learning. mainly worked with large banking, credit union, wealth management, manufacturing, and real estate clients.

About Nico Van den Hoff

Vancouver native Nico obtained his Bachelor of Technology in Accounting from British Columbia Institute of Technology and was working in finance at KPMG LLP prior to joining the MDS Vancouver program mainly working with large banking, credit union, wealth management, manufacturing, and real estate clients. It was while working at KPMG that Nico realized his passion for machine learning. In Nico’s spare time, he enjoys long distance running (marathons), playing golf, and collecting whisky and wine. Read Nico’s story.
 

Class of 2021

Rafael Pilliard Hellwig

Rafael Pillard Hellwig, Data Scientist at Action Against Hunger

"Coming from a non-STEM background, one of the things that drew me to the MDS is that it has a broad and diverse mission statement for recruitment. This program is known for being diverse, and I continually gain insights from the experiences that my peers bring to the table."

Previous Degree: Bachelor of Arts, Honours in Law and Political Science, Carleton University
Prior Experience: Monitoring & Evaluation Lead, USAID Jordan Local Enterprise Support Project
Program: MDS Vancouver, Class of 2021

An increasing number of tools now exist that fully automate the machine learning pipeline, such that anyone can fit a powerful model with little to no code. In some ways, that is wonderful because it democratizes the field. But it also opens up the risk that people use AI without understanding their models. This is why for me, a critical function of the data scientists is to interpret and explain. It is about knowing how to frame a problem before crunching the numbers. For anyone worried about the future job market, these human roles are going to be replaced by machines for a long time. With its emphasis on communication, ethics, and extracting knowledge from data, the MDS will give you the technical and critical thinking skills to become a thinking data scientist who can tackle a broad range of problems.

About Rafael Pilliard Hellwig

After completing his undergraduate studies in the social sciences, Rafael moved to the Middle East to work in organizational development, sustainability consulting, and economic development. In these roles, a common thread has been that Rafael helped companies and governments make complex data intelligible and accessible. His experience includes leading large-scale enterprise surveys, answering causal questions through quasi-experimental analysis, championing open-data initiatives and corporate transparency, and creating tools that automate the analytics pipeline. After moving back to his hometown of Vancouver in 2019, Rafael focused on helping foreign aid implementers communicate complex concepts through visualization. Rafael chose the MDS Vancouver program to deepen his technical acumen and build a network of like-minded professionals.

Tanmay Sharma

Tanmay Sharma, Senior Data Scientist - Machine Learning at Affinitiv Inc.

“The MDS program has been carefully designed to impart essential data science skills to make individuals job ready.”

Previous Degree: Master of Science in Computer Science, Santa Clara University
Previous Experience: Senior Associate – Data Analytics, Tredence Inc.
Program: MDS Vancouver, Class of 2021

While I was working with a lot of data and had come to appreciate the bigger picture of data science through my training as a computer scientist, I felt the need for a closer and more rounded hands-on association with the different aspects of the discipline. The MDS program seemed to be a perfect match to help me achieve this goal and advance my career to its next level.

About Tanmay Sharma

Sharma started his career as a Hardware Development Engineer of SSD drives at a leading global data storage company. In that role, Sharma’s interest in data science was piqued as he was seeing the explosion of big data and the increase use of machine learning and artificial intelligence across all industries and its profound impact on transforming global businesses. Sharma highly recommend MDS to people looking to initiate or further a career in data science. Read Tanmay's story.

Class of 2020

Rob Blumberg

Rob Blumberg, Senior Data Scientist at Validere

“There are so many smart and friendly people from different educational and cultural backgrounds in MDS, which makes learning and collaborating so much easier.”

Previous Degree: Bachelor of Science in Physics, McGill University
Previous Experience: Data Science Intern, BMO Financial Group
Program: MDS Vancouver, Class of 2020

It was around my third year of undergrad that I started hearing and learning more about data science. My first real encounter with data science came through my passion for soccer, as I discovered articles and blog posts explaining how data science is used to inform decisions across various departments in professional clubs. I was particularly interested in learning about these models and algorithms that were capable of uncovering meaningful insights about soccer games from data which did not seem to contain obvious patterns

About Rob Blumberg

Prior to MDS, Rob obtained a Bachelor of Science in Physics from McGill University. Right before starting the MDS program, Rob interned as a data scientist at BMO, where he worked on the People Analytics team. His team analyzed employee data, and his job was to analyze employee exit surveys to find out what was driving voluntary turnover. Read Rob's story.

Alistair Clark

Alistair Clark, Director Data Science at Birch Hill Equity Partners

“I chose the MDS program as a way to quickly build the skills and credibility I needed to transition into data science. I could have tried to build these skills while working at my previous company, but that would have taken longer and would have made it difficult to break into the job market.”

Previous Degree: Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering, Queen's University in Kingston, ON
Prior Experience: Lead Product Developer and Head of Product, I Will Teach/GrowthLab and Management Consultant at Accenture Strategy
Program: MDS Vancouver, Class of 2020

At the startup I worked for prior to MDS, I was facing big questions around our product and market strategy. We had plenty of data from our 40,000 customers and 500,000 email list subscribers, but we were only performing superficial analysis. I knew there were insights we were missing, but no one had the skills or experience to use and interpret the data effectively. I discovered the field of data science while looking for new tools and techniques to analyze our data.

About Alistair Clark

Prior to the MDS program, Alistair was the Lead Product Developer and Head of Product for I Will Teach/Growth Labs, an online e-learning startup. He also worked for 4 years as a management consultant with Accenture Strategy focused on financial modelling and business cases. Alistair came to the world of data science while looking for a better way to analyze customer data and make decisions about product and market strategy. Alistair holds a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering from Queen's University at Kingston.

Cari Gostic

Cari Gostic, Data Scientist at Sonoma Technology Inc.

“I’m finishing the program with confidence that I can pick up on new platforms, languages, methodologies, and frameworks on the fly.”  

Previous Degree: Bachelor of Science in Atmospheric Sciences, Cornell University
Previous Experience: Analyst, Consulting Team, Risk Management Solutions (RMS)
Program: MDS Vancouver, Class of 2020

I decided to pursue data science because it combines everything I like about research -- uncovering insights, the thrill of discovery, working with new and interesting data -- but is extensible across all fields. I love the idea that I can apply this skill-set effectively in completely different topics from day to day. It makes the future very exciting, because rather than looking for a specific type of job, I can instead look for a specific type of company whose mission and values I really believe in.

About Cari Gostic

New York-native Cari came to the MDS program after previously working as an analyst on the consulting team with Risk Management Solutions, a catastrophe modeling company. While working with RMS, Cari worked to streamline the integration of RMS software into clients’ workflows and complete custom projects like in-depth analyses of exposure or custom app development. Cari holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Atmospheric Science from Cornell University. Read Cari's story.

Reiko Okamoto

Reiko Okamoto, Methodologist at Bruyère Research Institute

“The MDS program concisely covers a broad range of topics in data science [and] I appreciated how the capstone project guaranteed industry experience.”

Previous Degree: Bachelor of Science in Microbiology and Immunology, University of British Columbia
Program: MDS Vancouver, Class of 2020

[During my Master’s of Science in Public Health], in one class, students were instructed to conduct a literature review on a topic related to public health. I don’t exactly remember why I decided to do this, but I chose to write about the challenges and opportunities in the implementation of data science techniques in healthcare. A few days after I submitted the assignment, I attended a Meetup event on the application of machine learning to biomedical imaging and diagnostics. As I sat in the audience listening to the keynote speaker, I realized that I wanted to pursue a career in data science.

About Reiko Okamoto

After completing her Bachelor of Science degree in microbiology and immunology from the University of UBC, Reiko wanted to study diseases beyond the molecular level so she moved to Sweden to pursue a master’s degree in public health to learn more about the application of epidemiological methods to improve population health. However, it was during her time in Sweden that her interest in data science was sparked. Read Reiko's story.

Class of 2019

Carrie Cheung

Carrie Cheung, Data Scientist at NuData Security, A Mastercard Company

“The MDS program gave me the confidence to explain and reason through data-related decisions.”

Previous Degree:  Bachelor of Arts, Double Major in Computer Science and Psychology, University of British Columbia
Program:  MDS Vancouver, Class of 2019

When I looked at the [MDS] curriculum, it was a really good range of relevant topics that I could tell was carefully designed and curated to fit within a ten-month window and also included a capstone project. That timeline really appealed to me as someone who was coming in as a working professional wanting to take that plunge but not wanting to do it for two or four year.

About Carrie Cheung

Prior to the MDS program, Carrie worked for Boeing Vancouver in various roles including one as a data scientist. While at Boeing, Carrie analyzed flight sensor data, which opened her eyes to a world where programming and math can be applied to data to solve business problems. Carrie holds a Bachelor of Arts, Double Major in Computer Science and Psychology from the University of British Columbia. Since graduating, Carrie is now a data scientist for NuData Security – A MasterCard company.
Read Carrie's story.

Ayla Pearson

Ayla Pearson, Computational Biologist at Poisson Consulting Ltd.

“The MDS program was exactly what I wanted to be able to do with data, which is to turn data into meaningful actions and be able to create decisions from them.”

Previous Degree: Bachelor of Science, Chemistry – University of Victoria
Prior Experience: Resource Clerk, Province of British Columbia
Program: MDS Vancouver, Class of 2019

I've been looking for data science master's programs for months. Nothing really clicked and as soon as I read the MDS program description, it was exactly what I wanted to do and that is being able to use already collected data to answer decisions to create solutions and to try and get new information out of it which was everything that I was trying to do in my work already but didn't really have the skills to do it or the confidence.

About Ayla Pearson

Hailing from Haida Gwaii, British Columbia, Ayla initially wanted to pursue a master’s in biology but couldn’t find the right program. Ayla realized that she preferred to do the data analysis side of biology versus going out in the field and collecting the data but she didn’t think that she could. A conversation with her mother made Ayla realize that she could separate those careers. Ayla enjoyed the fast-paced environment of the MDS program and the small classes allowed her to engage with other students and faculty on a one-to-one basis. Ayla will be returning to her role as a resource clerk with the Ministry of Forests Lands, Natural Resource Operations and Rural Development but hopes to transition into a data science role within the organization in the near-future. Ayla holds a Bachelor’s of Science in Chemistry from the University of Victoria. Read Ayla's story.

Birinder Singh

Birinder Singh, Data Scientist at Rocket Innovation Studio

“[MDS’] extensive and comprehensive curriculum was not being covered at any of the other programs within this short span of ten months.”

Previous Degree: Integrated MTech, Geophysical Technology, Indian Institute of Technology, Roorkee
Program: MDS Vancouver, Class of 2019

I was already curious and reading articles about the developments in machine learning and doing Kaggle competitions and some online courses. If I was only doing online courses, I would have missed a lot. MDS taught me what skills were important and how to connect the dots while providing guidance that is missing from online courses.

About Birinder Singh

Originally from Amritsar, India, Birinder worked for Schlumberger for almost 5 years as a Petro Technical Engineer. It was falling oil prices that prompted Birinder to find a way to better utilize available data to create value for its clients. Birinder holds an Integrated MTech, Geophysical Technology from the Indian Institute of Technology, Roorkee. Since completing the program, Birinder is now a data scientist for Integra Data and Analytics Solutions, a Calgary-based company that provides data science solutions to the oil and gas industry.
Read Birinder's story.

Heather Van Tassel

Heather Van Tassel, Data Scientist at Visier

“The years of knowledge and expertise that the MDS teachers have is priceless. Even if I did sit down and try to learn data science, I wouldn't know where to start or what to focus on.”

Previous Degree: Bachelor of Science, Integrated Science: Biochemistry and Neuroscience, University of British Columbia
Program: MDS Vancouver, Class of 2019

Even though at first I was skeptical about whether the MDS program would be worth the investment, and also extremely nervous about the intensity of the program, given my limited coding skills, I could not be happier with the knowledge, experience and job opportunities I have gained through the program, and would recommend it to anyone looking to challenge themselves and help shape their career towards utilizing these exciting, powerful and innovative data science tools. I have learned so much in such a short amount of time and am inspired to continue adding diversity to the field as a woman in data science.

About Heather Van Tassel

As Heather was completing her biochemistry and neuroscience degree at the University of British Columbia, she took a biostatistics course which became her doorway into data science. A MDS alumna and UBC professor encouraged her to apply to the MDS program. What appealed to Heather the most about the MDS program was how inclusive it was in accepting students from all backgrounds who don’t necessarily have a strong background in computer science. Heather feels that the MDS program gave her the hands-on skills and knowledge to actually be able to help businesses find value and insights from their data for real-world impacts.
Read Heather's story.

Class of 2020

Kaitlyn Hobbs

Kaitlyn Hobbs, Data Scientist at Statistics Canada

“UBC MDS Okanagan offers intimate class sizes and specialized professors that motivate participation, networking, and rapid skill development.”

Previous Degree: Bachelor of Medical Sciences Degree with an Honors Specialization in Biochemistry, Western University's Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry
Program: MDS Okanagan, Class of 2020

[While completing my undergraduate studies], I was lucky to land myself in dry labs, where I found myself enjoying statistical analysis and introductory-level programming. I wanted to elevate my foundational skills as I believe . . . data science is an effective tool that leads to a measurably impactful career in an array of disciplines. When looking at programs with accelerated learning combined with small class sizes and a campus with a close-knit community feel, the MDS program on the UBCO campus presented itself as the perfect fit. I hope to utilize the working knowledge taught in the MDS program to pursue a data related role in the global health sector.

About Kaitlyn Hobbs

Originally from Mississauga, Ontario, Kaitlyn obtained a Bachelor of Medical Sciences degree from Western University. It was during her undergraduate studies where she developed a deep appreciation for statistical analysis and programming and it was Kaitlyn’s investigation into the best data science program that led her directly to UBCO’s MDS program. Kaitlyn hopes to parlay the knowledge taught in the MDS program on the Okanagan campus into a job in the global health sector, where she would like to work on improving data collection. Read Kaitlyn's story.

Connor Lee

Connor Lee, Data Science Engineer at Epic for Kids

“The UBC MDS Okanagan program provides a fast paced learning environment that provides you with the skills to get started in a career in data science or machine learning.”

Previous Degree: Bachelor Degree, Mechanical Engineering from the University of Victoria
Program: MDS Okanagan, Class of 2020

I gained an interest in improving my data collection and analysis techniques through teaching myself how to use Excel VBA. I started to look into how I could further improve my skills and during this search, I found that data science was the field that employed the skills that I was looking to develop. I searched for programs that offered both small class sizes and an accelerated learning path. I quickly discovered that my best option would be to return home and attend UBCO’s MDS program. Now through the program, I have gained the skills and knowledge to apply for entry level data science, data analyst, and machine learning positions.

About Connor Lee

Connor, a native of Vernon, obtained a Bachelor Degree, Mechanical Engineering from the University of Victoria. Having developed a deep appreciation for data collection and analysis techniques, Lee’s desire to improve his technical abilities and love for the Okanagan led him straight to UBCO’s MDS program. Read Connor's story.

Swapil Paliwal.

Swapil Paliwal, MDS Okanagan – Class of 2020

“This is an excellent program, in an amazing location. The MDS-O program provides an exceptional foundation in the areas of data science.”

Previous Degree: Master’s Degree in Materials Science and Engineering from the University of Washington, Seattle
Program: MDS Okanagan, Class of 2020

I have always had an interest in multidisciplinary fields which allow for collaborative work, and have applications in variety of areas. Data science is one such field and being able to see its wide impacts in almost all walks of life really got me hooked. Now through the program, I feel confident and prepared to enter the job market knowing the program has provided me with tools and knowledge I will need to succeed.

About Swapil Paliwal

Originally from (Firozabad, India), Swapil obtained a Master’s Degree in Materials Science and Engineering from the University of Washington. It was during his time working as a Data Scientist where he fostered an interest in sharpening his technical skills.  Situated in the beautiful Okanagan Valley, the MDS-O program, with its accelerated learning program and intimate cohort, caught Swapil’s eye. Having now completed the 10-month program, Swapil hopes to utilize the knowledge and technical expertise taught in the MDS program on the Okanagan campus as he prepares to continue working as a data scientist or data engineer in cross-disciplinary teams.
Read Swapil's story.

Elizaveta Volkova

Elizaveta Volkova, Analyst at Hootsuite

"Everyone in the program has different backgrounds, which is terrific because we get to see and hear different perspectives, but there is also a sense of community as everyone is willing to help each other."

Previous Degree: Bachelor’s Business Information Systems, Bauman Moscow State Technical University
Program: MDS Okanagan, Class of 2020

While managing a system that collected vast amounts of data for a company I worked with in Moscow, I came to the realization that our customers would be interested in accurate predictions of both their revenue and future customers. This prompted a personal interest in building predictive models, however, I knew I would need to further develop my skills and experience in interpreting and using data. I recognized that the field of Data Science would provide me the skills I needed and the MDS program in Okanagan offered the perfect balance of small class sizes and accelerated learning. Now immersed in the program, I am gaining the technical expertise and practical experience that I know I will be able to apply when entering back into the workforce.

About Elizaveta Volkova

Originally from Moscow, Russia, Elizaveta received her undergraduate degree in Business Information Systems from the Bauman Moscow State Technical University. During her undergraduate studies, Elizaveta also took work with a Russian company that optimized business processes where she helped to manage a system that compiled and stored significant amounts of data. As a part of this work, Elizaveta identified the need to improve her skills and experience in interpreting and using data and it was in searching for different tools for data analysis and predictive modelling that she realized that the field of Data Science would provide her with the skills she was interested in. Having moved to Kelowna to enter into the MDS program, Elizaveta is now gaining the technical skills she so greatly wanted to enhance, from programming to practical experience, which will make her stand out as an exceptional candidate when she seeks opportunities after graduation.

Class of 2019

Vaghul Balaji

Vaghul Balaji, Senior Data Engineer at Meta

"When I was looking for a program to take my career to the next level, I found the program at UBC and it ticked all of my boxes – it’s accelerated, it’s in a field that I really like, and gives me the skills that I need for the current trend in the market; it satisfied everything I was looking for."

Previous Degree: Bachelor of Engineering – Computer Engineering, National University of Singapore
Prior Experience: Data Scientist and Data Engineer at HSBC
Program: MDS Okanagan, Class of 2019

I’ve always been intrigued by the power of computers and what you can program them to do. After some time as a developer and analyst, I realized, that I don’t want to be a traditional or a standard software engineer. I want to get into my own niche area, and I really like the field of data science, especially these days with the amount of data that’s out there. When I was looking for a program to take my career to the next level, I found the program at UBC and it ticked all of my boxes – it’s accelerated, it’s in a field that I really like, and gives me the skills that I need for the current trend in the market; it satisfied everything I was looking for.

About Vaghul Balaji

Vaghul spent four years in the financial services industry where he began as a software developer before transitioning to the role of a data engineer. Since his childhood, he has been fascinated by technology, the power of computers, and what you can do with them. That is even more true today than it was then, with the amount of data in today’s world. During his time as an undergraduate student at the National University of Singapore, he did an exchange program that led to a term spent at the University of Ottawa, where he fell in love with Canada. When he decided it was time for a career change, Canada and data science were the two key requirements. Vaghul was part of the first cohort of MDS students on the Okanagan campus and graduated in the summer of 2019. He is now a senior data engineer at Meta.
Meet Vaghul.

Kira Wiese

Kira Wiese, Data Scientist at Hitachi Solutions

"I really like that the program is 10-months and all course based. After coming from a degree focused on theory, I was really looking to gain practical knowledge."

Previous Degree: Bachelor of Science – Statistics, University of Calgary
Program: MDS Okanagan, Class of 2019

Growing up in rural Alberta, my first step away from home was pursuing an undergraduate degree at the University of Calgary. With an analytical but also creative personality, I was unsure of which path was my best fit. It was not until I completed my first statistics course that I started to see the applications of data analysis – whether it was in health care or agriculture, or anything, really. I gained a firm theoretical knowledge of statistics, but still wanted to see the real-world outcomes of my numbers. In the MDS program I’m getting the more practical training—the programming and the real-world applications—to accompany my theoretical knowledge.  

About Kira Wiese

Originally from Medicine Hat, Alberta, Kira got her undergraduate degree in statistics, with a minor in actuarial science, from the University of Calgary. Having excelled there, she began looking for career paths that would let her put her love of numbers to practical and important use. A fellow undergraduate told her about the MDS program at UBC, and when she saw it was being offered at the Okanagan campus – a smaller learning environment she thought might better suit her desire for a more close-knit, personal experience – all of the pieces seemed to fall into place. Kira hopes to be able to combine the practical skills she is learning in the MDS with the theoretical skills gained in her undergraduate degree to pursue a career interpreting data for industries relevant to her home region, like agriculture, oil and gas. Since completing the program, Kira is working as a Data Scientist at Hitachi Solutions.

Meet Kira.

Mohsen Zardadi

Mohsen Zardadi, Data Scientist at Terra Sense Analytics

"I have found people in Kelowna so friendly and easy to connect and students might find much better opportunities here. I strongly recommend students to consider small communities like Kelowna." 

Previous Degree: PhD, Electrical Engineering, University of Birjand
Program: MDS Okanagan – Class of 2019

I have been working with image data for a long time so, I was kind of familiar with machine learning, AI, and programming. I believe what we are doing with big data, machine learning, and AI is just the tip of the iceberg. It is like the internet in the 90s. I did so much research and talked to many people before I make my decision and switch to data science. 

About Mohsen Zardadi

Mohsen has a Ph.D. degree in Electrical Engineering from the University of Birjand and worked for Burnaby-based Kardium, a medical devices company, as a Usability Team Member. It was while in this role, he could see that everything is getting affected by machine learning and AI and saw a bright future for data science. Since graduating, Mohsen works as a data scientist for Kelowna-based TerraSense Analytics.
Meet Mohsen

Class of 2020

Niki Hajmoshir MDS Computational Linguistics

Niki Hajmoshir, Language Engineer at Amazon

“What I really like about this program is that we get more hands-on experience and work with data sets and corpora so when we go into industry we won’t be lost because we know how to handle these things.”

Previous Degree: Bachelor's in Medical Laboratory Science, University of British Columbia
Program: MDS Computational Linguistics, Class of 2020

Everything I am learning in MDS CL, from coding to statistics to Natural Language Processing is all interesting, relevant and applicable to what we've seen every day in the world. It makes you think how I can use this in my life and I like how the instructors put it in a way that I can easily apply these to multiple fields.

About Niki Hajmoshir

Niki received her Bachelor's in Medical Laboratory Science from the University of British Columbia. It was towards the last few years of her degree that Niki realized she wanted to switch fields into something more computer related and found herself working on projects that used Natural Language Processing. This resulted in Niki becoming very interested in Computational Linguistics and to apply to the MDS CL program. Meet Niki.

Chidera Okoma MDS Computational Linguistics

Chidera Okoma, Business Insight and Analytics Associate at TD

“I am thankful to the MDS-CL at UBC for arming me with the skills to be a creative problem solver and a great critical thinker. These are skills that experts in the field are renowned for and I am confident that my training at UBC has prepared me adequately.”

Previous Degree: Bachelor of Engineering, Computer Engineering, Covenant University
Prior Experience: Data Analyst, BaverianVine Ltd.
Program: MDS Computational Linguistics, Class of 2020

I saw the MDS-CL program as a typical MDS program but with the cherry on the cake. It offered mostly what the Master of Data Science offers with an additional focus on natural language processing. This was the deciding factor for me. NLP was important for me because a lot of the data I had come across came as free form texts and it was important that I learnt to work with those.

About Chidera Okoma

Chidera holds a Bachelor of Engineering degree in Computer Engineering from Nigeria’s Covenant University. Prior to joining the MDS CL program, Chidera worked as a data analyst with BaverianVine Ltd., a startup that consulted for the largest Nigerian institutions. It was while working in her role as a data analyst that she saw the impact that data insight had in decision-making. Read Chidera's story.

Toshiko Shibano MDS Computational Linguistics

Toshiko Shibano, MDS Computational Linguistics – Class of 2020

“If you are like me and enjoy devising solutions to real world problems, have a desire to transfer knowledge and skills from a previous job to the digitized world, or are passionate about language, this program is worth the money and time.”

Previous Degree: Bachelor of Arts in Psychology, University of British Columbia
Prior Experience: Executive Vice President, Senior Translator and Programmer, Simulingual Inc.
Program: MDS Computational Linguistics, Class of 2020

“If you are like me and enjoy devising solutions to real world problems, have a desire to transfer knowledge and skills from a previous job to the digitized world, or are passionate about language, this program is worth the money and time.”

As a professional translator, I have always been interested in machine translation. In particular, I wanted to know how linguistic data were processed in deep learning models. I wanted to be able to test out my hypotheses about how to improve the current machine translation models.

About Toshiko Shibano

Prior to the MDS Computational Linguistics program, Toshiko ran a translation business in Japan, which specialized in financial accounting and her clientele included major international audit firms, listed companies, and multinational corporations. Toshiko picked up programming to automate routine processes so that she could spend more time on translation. After handing over her business, Toshiko moved to Canada and pursued a Bachelor of Art degree in Psychology from the University of British Columbia. Read Toshiko's story.

Aaron Tian MDS Computational Linguistics

Aaron Tian, Data Engineer at KPMG Canada

“The biggest benefit you get coming into this program is you get to work with a lot of people with different backgrounds, in terms of the fields they come from, and who tend to approach the same question from different angles.”

Previous Degree: Master of Science in Computational Finance, DePaul University
Program: MDS Computational Linguistics, Class of 2020

With MDS CL, the data science courses are very essential to becoming a computational linguist. The program gives us a solid foundation for us to use our linguistics skills and put them into practice.

About Aaron Tian

Originally from China, Aaron has a Master of Science in Computational Finance from DePaul University. Coming from the finance industry, Aaron noticed that a lot of people were using Natural Language Processing tools to measure sentiment of the market to make better investment strategies. Seeing this, Aaron saw that the MDS Computational Linguistics program would give him the skills in sentiment analysis that he can apply to the finance industry.