Leading with curiosity

Your Journey to Tech: You have an interesting background in geology. How did you pivot from being a geologist to becoming a Distinguished Technologist at one of the world’s leading data and analytics groups?

I think of my career trajectory as more of an evolution than a pivot.  As an undergraduate, I didn’t take any classes in computer science and had no experience with software development when I started graduate school.  But my Master’s project in geology focused on global seismology and required data processing along with the use of machine learning.  I’m a highly motivated learner when I’m solving a problem, and so I became a software engineer while becoming a geophysicist.  Geosciences fascinated me, and still do, but I eventually decided that I wanted more options for future career opportunities.  So, I refocused my studies on applied mathematics. 

If there was a true pivot point for me, it was moving from academia to the business sector.  After earning my applied math degree, I took a job as a data analyst with a start-up in Seattle, where I lived at the time.  The small size of the company meant there were a lot of opportunities to learn and solve problems that didn’t necessarily fit with my job title.  I took advantage of that, and the experience opened the door for me to get my first job with RELX a couple of years later.

The Start of Your Tech Career: What first sparked your interest in tech, and how did you get started in the field?

I grew up as the kid in the house that served as Windows desktop support for everyone else, so I had some early connection to tech.  But I really became interested in software development as a geosciences graduate student.  To explore the research questions that interested me, I needed new tools.  I was working with large amounts of earthquake data and needed to manage it, model it, and visualize it.  I learned how to read, compile, and use code written by others and eventually started writing my own applications and enjoying it immensely.

Inspiration and Motivation: What inspires you to do the work you do, and what keeps you motivated in your career? 

I am inspired by problem-solving – coming up with solutions to technical challenges, seeing how they play out, and improving upon them.  Though I enjoyed scientific research, its problem-solving time scales are often very long, and collecting enough data to feel confident in a conclusion can be prohibitively time-consuming and expensive.  I thrive on the faster pace of solving business problems, with shorter time scales, clearer outcomes, and evolving technology landscapes. 

The Evolution of Technology: How have you seen technology evolve throughout your career at LexisNexis Risk Solutions, and how has that shaped your work? 

If you ask me this question in a few years, I’m sure my answer would involve something about AI.  But, reflecting on my time at LexisNexis Risk Solutions (LNRS), the move to utilize cloud-hosted environments and resources has probably been the biggest change that shaped my career.  In my early days at LNRS, I worked primarily with on-premises High Performance Computing Cluster (HPCC) environments.  I developed solutions using Enterprise Control Language (ECL) and later developed tools for generating ECL to solve data science problems, primarily linking. 

As cloud-based solutions became more secure, flexible, reliable, and accessible, our technology strategy has shifted dramatically, and my team has been right in the middle of it.  I have been working on Risk’s next-generation data and computing platform since its inception to enable solutions that simplify and standardize application development, including keeping the cloud hosting details abstracted from the main application logic.  I have grown to be a leader in a now much larger team, continuing that work to include more core capabilities and supported cloud technologies.

Developing the Next Generation: How do you help develop and inspire the next generation of data scientists and computer scientists?

I took some convincing to become a manager.  I value a sense of control over my work and responsibilities that is harder to feel when more people are involved.  Over time, I eventually realized that I could have a much greater impact through teaching and guiding others, effectively becoming a force multiplier.  I often encounter talented technologists who similarly struggle with the idea of moving from individual contributor roles to ones with mentoring and management responsibility.  My own transition was gradual, maintaining individual contributor responsibilities along with management ones (a “player-coach” role).  That balance was helpful in building confidence, and I’ve used that same approach to develop new managers.  I have a similar philosophy for developing and inspiring all team members. 

Advice for Aspiring Technologists: What advice would you give to someone with a non-traditional background who’s considering a career in technology?

I found my way to a career in technology because I was inspired to solve problems that excited me.  My advice would be to find something you are passionate about and to use it as a motivation to learn.  Solving a problem can be so much more rewarding than just learning a new skill for the sake of learning alone. 

Looking Ahead: What do you see as the future of technology, and what excites you most about what’s to come?

I am especially excited about the recent trends in AI-based tools.  I have been coding long enough to remember command-line compilers and keystroke-based text editors.  Development environments like IntelliJ, along with dependency and build management tools like Maven, have taken away so much of the tedious and error-prone aspects of those earlier days.  I think AI tools like GitHub Copilot will play a similar role. They can expedite some of the more repetitive coding and analysis work that we developers do, freeing us up to focus on the interesting problems.  I am also curious to see how the advent of AI coding agents will impact entry-level software development jobs.