Data science uses large sets of data — sometimes millions of pieces of data — to describe or solve some of the world’s toughest problems. Data scientists use those large sets of information to describe what's happening, explain why it's happening, predict what's likely to happen and make decisions about what action to take.
The field of data science is accelerating rapidly across most industries. The 2018 "Milwaukee's Tech Talent Impact" study found that there will be a minimum of 31,000 job openings in tech-related fields in the next five years, not including thousands of projected new jobs. As data science becomes more critical to how companies do business, the need for strong talent with skills and passion in business, mathematics, behavioral sciences, process design and industrial engineering is essential.
For this reason, Northwestern Mutual approached both Marquette University and the University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee to explore the potential of expanding their existing data science programs with the company’s support, collaboration and industry expertise in this emerging field.
In June 2018, the three institutions announced the creation of the Northwestern Mutual Data Science Institute, a groundbreaking partnership that contributes to the formation of a technology ecosystem and advances southeastern Wisconsin as a national hub for technology, research, business and talent development, while creating an organic pipeline of tech talent in the area.
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Keri McConnell is the co-director of the Northwestern Mutual Data Science Institute at Northwestern Mutual. In this role, Keri is leading the creation of the NMDSI, a unique and innovative partnership between Northwestern Mutual, Marquette University, and the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. Keri is a business technology leader who has built her career on two key pillars - identifying systemic connections between business strategy and technology and creating learning organizations. Throughout her career, Keri has built a wealth of knowledge in designing, leading and directing near-term and long-term strategies for analytics while leading and developing high-functioning teams along the way. She was a founder of the analytics practice at Northwestern Mutual during a time of tremendous growth within the organization. Keri's early career was spent at a Fortune 100 telecommunications company where she worked in areas as diverse as call-center management, process design, software testing, and requirements design. She earned her Master of Education in adult and organizational learning from Northeastern University. As a co-director of the NMDSI, Keri is leveraging her unique ability to create tangible strategies and deliverables from high level visions, translate abstract concepts into actionable plans, and create the clarity needed to coalesce teams around shared goals in organizations that are transforming.
Purush Papatla is the co-director of the Northwestern Mutual Data Science Institute at UWM and an NMDSI Professor of marketing at UWM’s Lubar School of Business. He is an expert in consumer marketing, specializing in Big Data and social media. Purush incorporates a mechanical engineering background and a deep interest in psychology and anthropology into his data science work. He holds a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from Osmania University in India, a master’s in industrial and systems engineering from the University of Illinois-Chicago, and a doctorate in marketing from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University. He serves on the board of directors of the Marketing Accountability and Standards Board, and on the steering committee of the Forbes CMO Council. He previously served as the interim associate dean of academic affairs at the Lubar School of Business and chaired the school’s marketing area for many years. As a co-director of the NMDSI, Purush is working to further expand his own teaching and research in data science as well as that of his colleagues and all colleges across the UWM campus. His goal is to graduate more students skilled in data science while having a significant, positive impact on the Milwaukee community.
Edward Blumenthal is the co-director of the Northwestern Mutual Data Science Institute at Marquette. Edward earned his bachelor’s degree in biochemistry from Cornell University and his doctorate in neuroscience from Yale University. With 16 years of experience at Marquette, Edward currently serves as an associate professor of biological sciences and the associate dean for research and graduate affairs in the Klinger College of Arts and Sciences. While he was chair of the department of biological sciences, he oversaw the creation of the undergraduate bioinformatics major. As one of the few bioinformatics majors offered in the country, this program combines the fields of biology and data analytics to garner meaning from large biological data sets. As a co-director of the NMDSI, Edward continues to grow the visibility of data science at Marquette and to seek synergies among faculty and students in order to strengthen research and education and to better serve the Milwaukee community.