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Professor Sanjeev Dewan presents at the three-day immersive data science conference

On a beautiful day in San Diego, data enthusiasts gather at the Hilton Bayfront, throwing over the beautiful beaches of America’s Finest City in favor of a hotel auditorium.

Why? Because this is DataScienceGo, the premier conference for self-proclaimed datanauts. In a world where data is king, this conference is where the top dogs of data science gather for three days of lectures, workshops, and networking.

At the center of these festivities is Professor Sanjeev Dewan, who shared his insights regarding the role of data and customer behavior during his workshop on day two of the conference.

“Data science is a fast-moving field with diverse methodologies. This event gave the Merage School a rich opportunity to network with thought-leaders in the industry,” said Dewan.

Dewan, who heads the Master of Science in Business Analytics Program at The Paul Merage School of Business, provided real-world examples that attendees could apply to their own careers. His workshop “Causal Inference in Data Analytics” was presented on the main stage of the conference, aptly named The UCI Paul Merage Room.

Over 50 students from the Business Analytics Program accompanied Dewan, Information Systems Professor Behnaz Bojd and program staff on this data expedition, eager to soak up knowledge from leading luminaries in the data science community.

Attendees included key decision-makers at companies like Google, Nike, and IBM.

Chavi Singal, MSBA ’20, hopes to land a challenging but rewarding role in the world of big data after completing the business analytics program at the Merage School.

“I’m already learning so much about machine learning and predictive analytics at the Merage School” said Singal. “DSGO is a fun chance to explore current best-practices, industry trends, and network with members of the data science field.”

Associate Director of Recruitment and Admissions at the Merage school, Bryan Muñoz, joined the panel “Technical Recruiting and Hiring Standards.” One of the topics covered at the panel was encouraging diversity in the applicant pool.

“Potential candidates need to see your face to understand that you are truly invested in hiring them,” Muñoz explained. “You can’t just take out an online ad and hope to assemble a diverse team. You need to go to them.”

In addition to the panels, the Merage School hosted a dinner for DSGOX, a half-day meeting for 30 top executives at the conference. Data leaders engaged in meaningful conversations regarding hiring strategies, artificial intelligence, machine learning, and how to retain talent.