Before We Say Goodbye: Meet Professor Stevens!
Professor Nathaniel Stevens came to USF after obtaining a PhD from the University of Waterloo, and will be heading back to Canada to start an exciting journey at his alma mater. Continue reading to learn about his time at USF!
Tell us about your background
Years ago, as a mathematics undergraduate, I hoped to become a high school math teacher. However, I quickly realized that I would never use most of the fun things I was learning at that time if I followed that career path. It was around the same time that I took a statistics class that exposed me to a field devoted to solving real-world problems with math. The practical utility piqued my interest so much that I stayed an extra semester to take extra classes so that I could declare statistics as my major. Still interested in teaching, I set my sights on an academic position. This lead to graduate school and two more degrees.
After completing my PhD I discovered USF and learned about their exciting programs in data science and analytics. At this time I was looking for a career that blended teaching, research and exposure to real problems in industry. USF offered all of this, and so my wife and I packed up our lives and moved to California.
How did you get into data science?
My training and experience was in a mixture of traditional applied statistics and biostatistics. Back then, especially in Canada, data science didn’t really exist yet — at least not by that name. When I began at USF and became aware of what Silicon Valley referred to as data science, it was clear that my skills were relevant in this space. Things like A/B testing and customer churn prediction were really just new names for experimental design and survival analysis. Finding this new area of application has been extremely exciting and has led to a very interesting and fulfilling career. The most rewarding aspect has been sharing my knowledge and experience with others through USF’s Bachelors and Masters degrees in Data Science (BSDS/MSDS) as well as the Data Institute’s certificate programs. Being a part of this community has been wonderful.
What is your most cherished MSDS memory?
I’ve had so many great experiences being a part of the MSDS program, but the one that stands out the most is the one that made me want to take the job at USF. During my interview process I had to give a mock lecture to the current students which, at that time, was Cohort 3. After finishing my 30 minute lecture on outliers, leverage and influence, the students bombarded me with a 90 minute interrogation to determine if I was worthy of teaching in their program. I could imagine that other applicants might have viewed this experience as hostile, but I was energized by the passion they had for the program. I would never teach these students — they would graduate before I began — but it was clear that they cared deeply about maintaining the reputation and prestige of the program for future generations. It was in that moment that I knew I needed to be a part of it. I will be forever grateful that Cohort 3 deemed me worthy.
Favorite thing about Data Science at USF?
There is no question that what I like (and will miss) most about Data Science at USF is the community. The students, staff and faculty are all incredible. As a teacher it’s so much fun to teach students that are so passionate and dedicated to learning. And working alongside faculty and staff who care as much about their program and students as they do here has been amazing. I truly feel like I’ve been a part of something special.
Tell us about your future adventures!
As sad as it will be to leave USF, I’m very excited about this next stage in my career. Although I’ve loved living in San Francisco, I’m very happy to be moving back to Canada. But more than that, I’m looking forward to joining the faculty at the University of Waterloo where I will help guide their data science programs and where I will be able to advance my research program by mentoring PhD students. That said, I know that any future success I may have will be owed to the experiences I’ve had and the knowledge I’ve gained while working at USF for the past three and a half years.
