Data science twitter people
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10 people to follow if you want to work in data science

24 Oct 2017

Data science is still one of the hottest jobs in tech right now, but who are the best people on Twitter within the data science sphere?

If you want to work in data science, it’s always good to follow those who are already working in the sector.

There are countless amazing data scientists around the world, but it can be hard to keep up to date with all of them.

That’s where Twitter comes in, offering you digestible amounts of information from some of the most sociable data science influencers.

If you want to grow your data science career and ensure you know what the thought leaders are talking about, check out these 10 data science influencers.

Karen Church (@karenchurch)

As a data science leader, Karen Church knows all about the many ways data can be used in the world, along with the trends that are coming over the horizon for anyone entering the sphere.

Follow Church on Twitter for plenty of insights, thoughts and news about data, data science and analytics.

Kirk Borne (@KirkDBorne)

Dr Kirk Borne is a data scientist and an astrophysicist. He has been principal data scientist in the strategic innovation group at Booz Allen Hamilton since 2015. Before that, he was professor of astrophysics and computational science at George Mason University for 12 years.

Follow Borne on Twitter for the latest trends and some valuable resources for all things related to data science, machine learning and AI.

Deirdre Lee (@deirdrelee)

As the CEO of open-data solutions platform Derilinx, Deirdre Lee is certainly one to watch if you want a career in data science. Derilinx creates what it calls ‘clean’ data, a combination of both open and internal data used for research or innovation projects in companies and organisations.

Lee’s tweets and retweets centre around all things data, science and the importance of open data.

Prof Barry Smyth (@barrysmyth)

Prof Barry Smyth is a professor of computer science in University College Dublin, founding director of the Insight Centre for Data Analytics and a RecommenderX adviser.

Smyth’s Twitter feed is full of insightful tips and information around the data science sphere along with interesting features on AI.

Marie Wallace (@marie_wallace)

Marie Wallace is an analytics strategist at IBM. Having spent more than a decade in the research and development division, building content, semantic and social analytics technologies, Wallace is a great advocate for women in tech and data science.

Follow Wallace on Twitter for insights and comments on all things data science, including her own self-titled ramblings and ruminations on her blog.

DJ Patil (@dpatil)

Appointed the first US chief data scientist, DJ Patil has an impressive LinkedIn profile. He worked in the White House for two years and, as the first in his role, he established the mission of the office: to responsibly unleash the power of data for the benefit of the American public.

Politically focused, Patil’s tweets highlight the value and importance of data from a government point of view.

Monica Rogati (@mrogati)

Executive data science and AI adviser, Monica Rogati has a passion for turning data into products, actionable insights and meaningful stories. She is also the vice-president of data of Jawbone and a former LinkedIn data scientist.

Rogati’s Twitter game is strong and she’s a must-follow for anyone interested in a career in data science or those already in the sector.

Alan Smeaton (@asmeaton)

Alan Smeaton is a professor of computing at Dublin City University (DCU) and is also the director of the Insight Centre for Data Analytics at DCU. He is internationally recognised for his work on information retrieval.

Smeaton’s Twitter feed is a mixture of data science and research-related insights along with some humour and important conferences.

Rumman Chowdhury (@ruchowdh)

As a data scientist and AI lead at Accenture, Rumman Chowdhury is another strong influencer in data science. Chowdhury is also an adviser for data science and AI start-ups.

A strong advocate for women in tech, Chowdhury is a huge believer in the importance of responsible AI.

Prof Barry O’Sullivan (@BarryOSullivan)

Prof Barry O’Sullivan serves as director of the Insight Centre for Data Analytics in the department of computer science at University College Cork. He is also an expert in residence on AI for SOSV, a venture capital and investment management firm that provides seed, venture and growth-stage funding to start-up companies in the technology sector.

Follow O’Sullivan on Twitter for interesting tweets on data analytics, data science and AI.

Disclosure: SOSV is an investor in Silicon Republic

Jenny Darmody
By Jenny Darmody

Jenny Darmody became the editor of Silicon Republic in 2023, having worked as the deputy editor since February 2020. When she’s not writing about the science and tech industry, she’s writing short stories and attempting novels. She continuously buys more books than she can read in a lifetime and pretty stationery is her kryptonite. She also believes seagulls to be the root of all evil and her baking is the stuff of legends.

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