Meet the Team — Greg Mellers
Where are you from? 🌍
Huddersfield, UK
How did you end up working at MedEngine? 😊
I was coming to the end of a contract in academia and was interested in moving into a data science role. A lot of the available positions were working on things that I didn’t really have any strong feelings toward. I realised I could never stay motivated finding ways to get people to buy more bananas or helping banks to make more money. So I wanted to find something that would have a more tangible, beneficial impact on people’s lives; MedEngine certainly ticks that box!
How did you get into data science? 🔬
I originally started out working on plants, specifically in population genetics. My PhD project looked at how species can be formed by naturally varying pollinator interactions in a South African daisy. Quite a long way from working with people with Parkinson’s! From there, I went on to work in quantitative genetics and learnt a lot about statistics.
The difficulty with academia though is the short work contracts and lack of stability. So, as much as I enjoyed it, I realised it was time to move on. With several years of expertise in quantitative and statistical analysis, I knew it had to be something to do with numbers. I really love that moment in programming when you finally get something to work after a day of hard graft, it really helps you to stay motivated day-to-day, even if all you changed was adding an extra comma where you’d missed one! So, for me, data science was a logical progression.
What would you say you are most proud of? 🏆
Managing to complete my PhD. It takes a lot of effort right at the very end of your doctorate to put everything together and submit a thesis. Many long nights and many cups of tea later, I got there. But I certainly wouldn’t want to do it again!
Could you describe yourself in 3 words… 🤔
1. Inquisitive
2. Organised
3. Chatty
What’s the best part about working at MedEngine? ⭐️
The team are very sociable and there’s a real sense of doing things as a team. It’s great to be a part of something with such direction.
Name 3 things you couldn’t go without… 🙌
- Soy Sauce
- Olive Oil
- Butter
(I love to cook…and eat!)
Do you have a favourite book? 📚
Their Eyes Were Watching God — Zara Neale Huston
Is there a skill you would like to learn or develop in the future? 🎓
Most of my past experience has been in R so I’m hoping to improve on some Python in this new role!