Summary

Over fifteen years of professional experience in data science, consulting, teaching, and technical support. Leader with great interest in team building, mentorship, problem-solving, and innovation.

Work Experience

State Farm Insurance

Lead Data Scientist

June 2024 to Present, Atlanta, GA
  • Develop AI/ML models and test feasibility of data science solution
  • Evaluate, select and apply machine learning techniques to predict outcomes and automate processes
  • Leverage big data, structured and unstructured data (especially text) in work assignments
  • Create reports and presented results to Claims business partners on research findings and data-driven recommendation
  • Work with Machine Learning Engineers, Data Engineers, Data Analysts, and IT department to support data collection and solution integration
  • Identify problems and related technical issues to support teams in developing IT solutions
  • Mentor other Data Scientists and other technical work teams
  • Combine statistics, computer science and industry knowledge to provide enterprise a comprehensive data solution

State Farm Insurance

Leadership Development Associate

October 2023 to June 2024, Atlanta, GA
  • Developed and maintained working relationships with Executives, Directors, Consultants, Section Managers, and Team Managers in the identification of Claims business problems
  • Built relationship and trust with business partners in Data Science, Technology, Legal, Risk & Compliance, Financial Operations, P&C Actuarial, etc.
  • Led cross functional teams to execute analytics and data science work
  • Led teams to identify relevant data, transform raw data into insights, develop recommendations, and visualize data
  • Led the research, scoping, and prioritization of Claims business problems coupled with the design, deployment, and monitoring of potential solutions
  • Monitored the effectiveness of solutions through analysis, reports/dashboards, surveys, and experimentation
  • Presented progress and analysis updates in written, visual and verbal form to business partners including executives with focus on simple storytelling
  • Translated technical concepts among partners within execution, technology, data science, consulting, legal and other functional areas

State Farm Insurance

Senior Data Scientist

March 2018 to October 2023, Atlanta, GA
  • Lead teams to combine statistics, computer science, and industry knowledge to provide analytic solutions
  • Present results to business partners and leaders on data-driven recommendation and research findings
  • Influence leadership in making organizational decisions and planning business strategies using data
  • Build strong relationships and partnerships among data scientists, data engineers, and business partners
  • Mentor and develop associates to become more competent in advanced analytics and data science
  • Partner with IT teams in evaluating new data analytics products and developing cloud strategy
  • Identify problems and related technical issues for vendors and teams in supporting data analytics products
  • Advise IT teams to support data collection, solution integration, and deployment
  • Develop statistical models, design experiments, and test feasibility of data science solution using Python
  • Create influential visualizations in QlikView, Qlik Sense, Tableau, R Shiny, and PolyAnalyst Web Report

State Farm Insurance

Principal Data Analyst

April 2015 to March 2018, Atlanta, GA
  • Engaged with business partners to perform in-depth, data-driven research in support of company objectives
  • Gathered and understood business domain knowledge relevant to individual research requests
  • Identified, extracted, and transformed relevant data for use in analysis using R, Python, Spark, and PolyAnalyst
  • Analyzed data using statistical methods, text analytics, and other Machine Learning techniques
  • Created visualizations in QlikView, Qlik Sense and Tableau, R Shiny, and PolyAnalyst Web Report
  • Shared research findings with business partners and provided consultation

Megaputer Intelligence, Inc.

Data Analysis Consultant

May 2011 to April 2015, Bloomington, IN
  • Conducted quantitative data analysis and text analysis using data and text mining software PolyAnalyst
  • Collaborated with team members to provide solutions for customers
  • Built dashboards and reports for consulting projects
  • Presented key capabilities of PolyAnalyst and key findings of proof-of-concept projects to prospective customers in web meetings and conferences
  • Extracted and managed data using R, Regular Expression (RegEx), SQL and PolyAnalyst
  • Led user training seminars and provided technical support to customers
  • Reported software issues and recommended new features to developers of PolyAnalyst

University of Michigan, Department of Statistics

Graduate Student Mentor and Instructor

September 2007 to May 2009, Ann Arbor, MI
  • Taught statistics and SPSS, reviewed course materials, and created homework solutions
  • Led training sessions and mentored other graduate student instructors
  • Advised instructors in the use of technology, grading, and teaching

HealthMedia, Inc. (A subsidiary of Johnson & Johnson)

Data Analytics Intern

June 2008 to August 2009, Ann Arbor, MI
  • Assisted the data analyst and director of research on analytic projects in the Behavioral Science and Data Analytics Group
  • Extracted, managed, and analyzed data from health surveys using SPSS and MS Excel

Technical Skills

Python, R, SPSS, Spark, Tableau, QlikView, Qlik Sense, SQL, RegEx, PolyAnalyst, AWS

Language

Bilingual: Fluent in English (U.S. Citizen) ; Native in Chinese (Mandarin / Cantonese)

Education

University of Michigan Ann Arbor, MI
Master of Arts in Statistics May 2009

Indiana University, Jacobs School of Music Bloomington, IN
Master of Music in Music Theory, Minor in Music Informatics May 2011

University of Oregon Eugene, OR
Bachelor of Science in Mathematics, summa cum laude June 2007
Bachelor of Arts in Music, summa cum laude June 2007
Minor in Economics, Professional Distinction Certificate

Awards, Certifications, and Honors

  • Five-Time Hack Day Winner, State Farm, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, and 2021
  • Nine US Patents with State Farm (10713727, 10796371, 10832337, 10832338, 11587182, 11593889, 12051117, 12067626 & 18793656)
  • Associate in Insurance Data Analytics (AIDA), The Institutes, 2018
  • Supplemental Academic Award, Jacobs School of Music, Indiana University, 2009 – 2011
  • First Year Graduate Student Fellowship, Department of Statistics, University of Michigan, 2007 – 2008
  • Undergraduate Speaker at Department of Mathematics Graduation Ceremony, University of Oregon, 2007
  • Diversity Building Scholarship, University of Oregon, 2004 – 2007