After completing my PhD and over 15 years of working as a researcher in the fields of Biomedical engineering and Neuroscience at various UK universities, I decided to explore new career opportunities outside academia. Because I already have the foundational skills of a data scientist, which I gained during various posts, I needed to bridge the gap between academia and industry – and S2DS did exactly that!

I stumbled upon S2DS while searching online for avenues into data science. Initially, I wasn't sure what to expect; whether we would watch hours of lectures or not, but the programme got down to business right from day one! This was a welcome discovery! Learning through doing is best and most effective.

When I joined S2DS Autumn 2022, I did not exactly know what to expect: after a PhD and six years working as a postdoc in Theoretical Physics, I wanted to explore new career opportunities outside academia, and S2DS presented me with the chance to dive into data science for five weeks within a bootcamp tailored for people with an advanced degree in the sciences. I told myself, ‘Why not?’

Many colleagues in my field had already naturally transitioned into Data Science roles before me. I was basically surrounded by Data Science, and I wasn’t surfing the wave. I liked my research a lot but at some point it felt like I was missing out by always digging deeper into my field and never looking wider. Academia wasn’t going to change that, so it was time to explore outside.…

I owe my successful transition from academia to Data Science to S2DS. I completed the virtual programme in April 2021 and have been working as a Data Scientist ever since. Looking back, I can think of three reasons why S2DS is the perfect commercial experience for those trying to break into the industry.

Whilst I enjoyed my time doing research as a PhD student in Quantum Physics, I soon realized the climate within academia was not necessarily well-suited for a work/life balance. Given this, I took a break after my PhD, during which I decided that the best decision was to leave academia…

I completed the virtual S2DS programme in March/April 2019. Two and a half years later, I am working as a data scientist at a large multinational consultancy, where I have been working for nearly all of that time. My time in data science has been so enjoyable and all that can be traced back to S2DS…

When I joined the S2DS 2014 London programme, I didn’t know what to expect from the project or employment afterwards; since it was the inaugural year. After a PhD and Postdoc in Astrophysics, I’d fallen out of love with academia but wanted to continue using my analytical skills for something useful…

Whenever you meet a new data scientist colleague it is always fascinating knowing how they started their career, as the range of backgrounds is astonishingly wide. One thing most of us have in common, however, is that it was hard to find the first paid job in the data science world…

After nearly 20 years working at different universities in the fields of Geophysics and High Performance Computing, I decided it was time to do something a bit different. Data Science looked to be a field where I could use many of my existing skills and also learn something completely new…

Wanting to leave academia was a no-brainer for me, however, getting a job in the industry seemed like a very daunting task. I did not attempt applying for any jobs as I didn’t know where to start, what I wanted to do, and had no faith in my skills set. I was recommended the S2DS programme…

About halfway through my Ph.D. studies in Physics at the University of Notre Dame, I realized that an academic career path was not as attractive to me as it had been when I entered graduate school. After exploring career options for Ph.D. graduates, I thought that data science might be a good fit for me…