A quick Q/A with Analytics Engineer, Paul Williamson

What’s your role at QuantSpark and where do you sit within the organisation?

I’ve recently moved to the Analytics Engineering team as a Analytics Engineer.

What did you do before you worked at QuantSpark and where do you see yourself in 5 years’ time?

I made a career change into Data Science following a decade in the events industry. Prior to QS I worked with an education organisation, first as an events manager, and then working in a data role developing models to forecast member subscriptions (churn, new subscriptions) and implementing a data strategy to evolve the organisation into a more data-driven state. I undertook an MSc in Data Science at Birkbeck University of London during this time, achieving a distinction with my final project developing an early fault detection system for wind turbines using SCADA data and residual- based detection strategies. Following this I applied for a role at QS and have loved every moment! 

Since joining QS it has become very clear that there is a lot of potential, and as a scale up, those working here have a lot of opportunity to contribute to this and grow alongside the organisation. My expertise is very much in the realm of Machine Learning and AI, and this is where I see myself developing over the next five years, both in terms of my professional experience and capability in creating value through data-driven solutions.

Who have you learnt the most from at QuantSpark so far? What have you learnt from them?

Very tough question… I’ve learnt a huge amount from others here, but if I were to pick out individuals, it would be Patrick Duffy and Maurits Westbroek who I have been working with for a few projects now. Patrick’s eye for presentation is like no other, he really knows how to communicate complex information to clients, but also has insane stakeholder management skills. Maurits is an Analytics Engineer fountain of knowledge, fantastic teacher, always willing to share his knowledge on complex infrastructure and coding concepts.

How would your 10-year-old self-react to what you do now?

“What is Data Science?”

What’s your favourite way to spend a day off?

So, I will admit I spend a lot of my free time playing with machine learning and researching new advancements in the field… It’s a hobby as well as work. I also love playing in my punk band, making electronic music, Arkham Horror TCG, occasionally playing video games, and in general hanging out with friends.