Master of Applied Data Science students

The Master of Applied Data Science program attracts driven students from diverse academic and professional backgrounds. Many are working professionals looking to upskill or pivot into data-focused roles at their current organizations. Others are career changers who land their first jobs in the data science field after graduating. Explore some of their journeys below.

Karl Haviland

Karl Haviland is taking MADS courses while running an AI-driven software company.

Christopher Pleman

MADS student Christopher Pleman discusses courses that have helped him grow at work and building community in an online program.

Steven Ong

MADS student Steven Ong discusses his favorite UMSI courses and the ways the MADS program has impacted his life.

Alexis Castellanos

Alexis Castellanos received an Outstanding Graduate Student Instructor Award for his work as a GSI in the MADS program.

Sylvester Ikpa

Sylvester Ikpa has used the skills he learned in the MADS program to tackle the challenges he faces in his data science career.

Rachel Cokeley

The Master of Applied Data Science program provided the flexibility for Rachel Cokeley to pursue a data science career and her goal of thru-hiking the Appalachian Trail.

Yi Mao

MADS student Yi Mao decided to pursue a degree in data science to find ways to improve patient outcomes and reduce costs in healthcare.

Stephen Ontko

MADS student Stephen Ontko leveraged the skills he learned at UMSI into a data science position at Moody’s Analytics.

Sophia Boettcher

Sophia Boettcher uses the skills she’s learning in the Master of Applied Data Science program in her health equity disaster relief nonprofit.

Matthieu Lienart

Matthieu Lienart is a Master of Applied Data Science student who currently lives in Switzerland after spending 13 years in Japan.

Simi Talkar

Simi Talkar is improving her data science skills through the Master of Applied Data Science program.

Eugene Yiga

Master of Applied Data Science Student Eugene Yiga is using his journalism experience and his new data science skills to build a career in data journalism and data visualization.

Brillie Phan

Brillie Phan is using data science to solve practical problems at work and in other projects that could make a positive impact in the community.

Nhan Le

Nhan Le joined the MADS program with the goal to harness data science technologies and leverage his quantitative skills in economics.

Saqib Khanbhai

MADS student Saqib Khanbhai is already using the knowledge and skills he’s learning in UMSI’s Master of Applied Data Science program in the real world.

Michelle LeBlanc

Michelle LeBlanc is launching her data science career identifying fraud, waste and abuse in the healthcare industry.

Matt Wiese

Meet second-year MADS student and math whiz Matt Wiese, who has developed some deviceful practices to help him balance work and home life while pursuing his second master’s.

Albert Lee

Albert Lee, a MADS student and an instructional designer at University of California, San Francisco, is no stranger to online learning.

Jordan Marquez

MADS Information Mentor Jordan Marquez balances unique aspects of life, including a full-time job, with his data science studies. He talks how community is built and felt in the MADS program.

David Hernandez

As a mechatronics engineer, David Hernandez believes data science is key to solving problems in the automotive industry.

Koon Leong Ho

Managing the analytics requirements for a hotel chain while earning his MADS degree part-time, Koon Leong Ho said the "marathon" program isn't difficult to balance with proper support — and it's already paying off at work.

Rachel Wyatt

Rachel Wyatt is able to balance working full time and participating in MADS with caring for her school-age children during a pandemic. It's not a cinch, but it's worth it.

Ayansola Akanmu

Ayansola Akanmu is pioneering UMSI’s new Master of Applied Data Science (MADS) program as a part of the program’s first cohort.

Carlo Tak

Carlo Tak, a data scientist from South Africa, is boundlessly curious about his own field. As one of the 149 students pioneering UMSI’s Master of Applied Data Science (MADS) degree, Carlo has found a platform to feed and explore his wide-ranging interests while working full-time.

Jenna Mekled

Coming from a background in accounting and business, Jenna Mekled enrolled in UMSI’s Master of Applied Data Science (MADS) program in order to engage more deeply with the aspects of her job she most enjoys.

Stacey Beck

Stacey Beck is a new mom, a licensed physical therapist and a student in the first cohort of UMSI’s new Master of Applied Data Science program.

Ani Madurkar

Data Analyst Ani Madurkar discovered his passion for data science while working in a neuroscience lab.

Nick Capaldini

For Master of Applied Data Science (MADS) student Nick Capaldini, finding community has been at the heart of his UMSI experience.

Tony Purkal

Health care data analyst Tony Purkal chose to pursue his MADS degree at Michigan because the flexible format allows him to continue working full-time.

Anthony Giove

Anthony Giove is going above and beyond in the MADS program, building and adding to his data science toolkit as a professional software developer while pursuing a passion in sports analytics at the same time.

Brad Thompson

Brad Thompson joined the first cohort of students in UMSI’s new Master’s of Applied Data Science (MADS) program in order to gain a nuanced understanding of technological evolutions in a field he’s worked in for decades.

Brooke Hawkins

Brooke Hawkins is bringing her affinity for ecology to UMSI as a Masters of Applied Data Science (MADS) student.

Daeryong Seo

MADS student Daeryong Seo is a professional data scientist driven by a sense of service and responsibility. He’s seeking rigorous training to prepare him to tackle dangerous computational algorithms and social issues ⁠— and he said he’s found that training at UMSI.

Ermias Bizuwork

Ermias Bizuwork is a self-starter looking for a challenge as he continues his data science education.

Kyle Balog

Kyle Balog graduated from the University of Michigan with a bachelor’s degree in industrial and operations engineering in 2017. Now he’s enjoying his second time being a Wolverine as a member of the first cohort of UMSI’s new Master’s of Applied Data Science (MADS) program.

Rachell Calhoun

MADS student Rachell Calhoun began her journey as a data scientist by teaching herself how to code using MOOCs. Now, as a software developer in the healthcare industry, she wants to help healthcare providers practice more inclusive data science.

Manel Mahroug

MADS student Manel Mahroug is a full-time mom and biologist by training who wants to use machine learning to improve patient care.

Nesma Silman

A customer care specialist at Vodafone in Egypt, Nesma Silman has found that data science can play an important role in customer satisfaction.