About Me
(Last Updated December 2021)
My name is Sandeep Pawar. I am a Data Science professional, currently working in Pharmacy Analytics team at Humana as Sr. Data Visualization Engineer. I use advanced data analytics, Statistics, Machine Learning to help improve health & well-being of our members.
Prior to Humana, I worked at Cree Lighting as Data Analytics Engineer. My background is in Mechanical Engineering & Product Development. After graduating with an M.S in Mechanical Engineering, I worked as research engineer focused on using engineering simulation tools (Finite Element Analysis, Computational Fluid Dynamics) to analyze products. I am co-inventor of 4 patents related to thermal management of lighting fixtures. For 10+ years, I worked in a cross-disciplinary team of engineers to analyze structural and thermal performance of industrial and semiconductor products. I used to design physical tests using DOE, gather data, analyze it, create simulation models and recommend design changes to the product engineers. Now as a Data Science professional, I do the same thing but with different tools and data.
I pivoted to Data Science ~5 years ago (2016) after I helped solve a business challenge using Statistics and Data Analytics. It energized me so much that I pursued my second Master’s in Engineering Management at Northwestern University with focus on Organizational Analytics. I learned how to use analytics to gain business insights. As an engineer I understand System Dynamics , and hence focus on creating sustainable solutions rather than quick band-aid fixes.
I am a passionate learner and am always learning something new. I love to challenge myself to learn new techniques, methods, tools and apply them in different settings. The business challenge I mentioned above? I used some of the Statistical methods I had used in my engineering research (Monte Carlo Simulation, uncertainty estimation) to solve it. I was given Employee Recognition Award (twice) for helping solve the issue. In 2015, I participated in a Business Strategy competition organized by Navigant Consulting. In that competition, the participants were asked to analyze market for a new diabetes drug and advise the company on ‘Go-No Go’ strategy. I had no prior experience of any of it. I did research on drug markets, how clinical trials work, learned how to create Complex Real Options, incorporate various risk in drug/financial valuations and presented a business strategy. I won the first prize in that competition. Not bragging, I am just proud of my efforts. One of the judges thought that I had been doing this for many years! I bring the same rigor and passion to all the projects I work on. I may not know everything but you can count on me learning and excelling. I am a proponent of open source and love sharing what I learn.
I enjoy watching cricket and making espressos & latte art. I can make a heart, tulip & rose. Learning to make a swan :) (If you have a favorite coffee blend or local espresso bar, send me a note). Since you asked, my favorite beans are Epic Espresso by 49th Parallel and favorite cafe is Espresso Cielo in Santa Monica, CA. I am a die-hard Sachin Tendulkar fan.
Volunteering: I volunteer at Elmhurst Art Museum, a local non-profit that showcases artwork of local and international artists and helps educate local community about art. I help them with their data analytics needs to improve community outreach and marketing. I am always looking for volunteering opportunities so feel free to get in touch with me if I can be of any help.
Education:
- Masters in Engineering Management, Business Analytics, Northwestern University, IL
- M.S, Mechanical Engineering, Illinois Institute of Technology, Chicago IL
- B.E, Mechanical Engineering, Pune, India
Certifications:
- Machine Learning Engineer with Microsoft Azure - Udacity Nanodegree
- Microsoft Certified Azure Data Scientist (DP-100)
- Microsoft Certified Data Analyst (DA-100)
- Azure AI Fundamentals Certification (AI-900)
- JMP: Modern Screening Designs (Statistical Design of Experiments)
- JMP: ANOVA and Regression
- JMP: Data Exploration
Some Bragging
- Won Navigant Business Strategy Competition
- Won Microsoft-Udacity Azure Machine Learning Scholarship
- Won 1st Prize for my project on Time Series Forecasting in Azure ML
- Finalist, AECOM Global Business Innovation & Strategy Competition
- 4 Patents: US D750317, US 20150345715, US 20150316249, US 20140268730. Related to thermal design of lighting fixtures
- 2X Employee Recognition Award for using Data Analytics to help create business solutions
Speaking Engagements
- Introduction to Power BI for Educators, January 31st, 2020. Microsoft Technology Event, Chicago
- Propelling Power BI with Python & R (English), May 16th, 2020, Bangalore Power BI Days
- Propelling Power BI with Python & R (Hindi), May 17th, 2020, Bangalore Power BI Days
- Introduction to Classical Time Series Forecasting, Aug 17th, 2020, Udacity Azure ML Group
- Key Influencer Deep Dive, Sept 15th, 2020, Power BI Days Munich
- Deploying Azure ML forecast Model in Power BI, Dec 08th, 2020, Washington DC Power BI User Group
- Forecasting in Power BI, Dec 09th, 2020, Austin,TX Power BI User Group
- Key Influencer Deep Dive, Dec 10th, 2020, Lexington,KY Power BI User Group
- Time Series Forecasting in Power BI, Dec 15th, 2020, Power BI Days Hamburg
- Risk Modeling in Power BI using Monte Carlo Simulation, Dec 22nd, 2020, Dublin Power BI User Group
- Model Interpretability using Azure ML SDK, Jan 16 2021, Global AI Bootcamp Singapore
- Time Series Forecasting in Power BI, Jan 17 2021, Global AI Bootcamp Singapore
- Introduction to Azure ML SDK,Feb 20 2021, Azure Saturday Hamburg
- Enterprise Risk Modeling in Power BI, Feb 27th, 2021, Scottish Summit 2021
- Operationalizing Machine Learning Models With Azure ML & Power BI, Mar 22nd, 2021, Power BI Days
- Enterprise Risk Modeling in Power BI, Apr 21, 2021, Global Power BI Summit 2021
- Power BI Datasets & Dataflow, Apr 21, 2021, Cincinnati Data and AI User Group
- Power Up Power BI with Jupyter Notebook - Use Cases, May 15, 2021, DataWeekender
- Power BI AutoML Deep Dive, May 26, 2021, Portalnd Power BI user Group Portland PBUG
- Power Up Power BI with Jupyter Notebook - Use Cases (Lightning Talk), June 25, 2021, Data Saturdays ANZ 2021
- Power Up Power BI with Jupyter Notebook - Use Cases, Sept 28, 2021, Hampton Roads Power BI User Group
- Excel for Data Science, Oct 06, 2021, AI42
- Power BI for advanced analytics - Part 1, Oct 20, 2021, AI42
- Power BI for advanced analytics - Part 2, Nov 3, 2021, AI42
- Clustering and Segmentation In Power BI, Nov 8-12, 2021, PASS Data Community Summit
- Demystifying Power BI AI Visuals, November 1 2021, Atlanta Power BI User Group
You can connect with me on LinkedIn and Twitter at:
If you would like to provide anonymous feedback or send a quick note to me, please use this typeform. Thanks !