PHYS/ASTR Colloquium: "From Astrophysics to Data Science" - Dr. Jeffrey Silverman (Senior Data Scientist, Mozilla)

San Francisco State University
Physics & Astronomy Colloquium Series
Monday, November 6, 2023
TH 411, 3:30 PM

Dr. Jeffrey Silverman (Senior Staff Data Scientist, Mozilla)
"From Astrophysics to Data Science"

We are truly in the era of Big Data. The number of data science and related job openings has grown rapidly over the past decade and demand looks to continue to be very strong in the years to come. Academic scientists (from all quantitative fields) are extremely well qualified for such positions. I will discuss the basics of what data science is and what data scientists do, as well as how scientists in academia can become successful candidates for these positions in the Tech Industry. I'll also share my personal path from academic astronomer to gainfully-employed data scientist.

Bio
Jeffrey Silverman is a Senior Staff Data Scientist at Mozilla who leads their Metrics & Measurement Working Group. Before moving into the Tech Industry in 2016, Jeffrey was a National Science Foundation Astronomy & Astrophysics Postdoctoral Fellow at the University of Texas at Austin. In 2011, he earned his PhD in Astrophysics at UC Berkeley working on observations of supernovae and dark energy with Prof. Alex Filippenko. Jeffrey is also heavily involved in various science communication and public outreach programs such as Astronomy on Tap (helping organize events around the world), Big Screen Science (at the Alamo Drafthouse Cinema in San Francisco), and Eclipse Ambassadors (with the Astronomical Society of the Pacific).