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First in the Carolinas
BY KATIE THOMAS
Since 2013, UNC Charlotte, recognizing the role data science plays in a number of disciplines and organizations, has made it a focused institutional priority. What started as The Data Science Initiative has expanded to become UNC Charlotte’s School of Data Science, a truly interdisciplinary effort that this fall will offer both undergraduate and graduate programs as well as graduate certificates designed to meet the specific growing needs of employers in Charlotte, North Carolina and nationwide.
In the William Ribarsky Center for Visual Analytics, Samira Shaikh is deploying state-of-the-art language processing techniques to string together heterogeneous data for analysis.
Shaikh, an assistant professor of computer science in the College of Computing and Informatics (CCI), College of Liberal Arts & Sciences (CLAS) and School of Data Science (SDS), is part of a strategic team led by political scientist Jason Windett, associate professor for the Department of Political Science and Public Administration, working on the Federal Data and Advanced Statistics Hub (F-DASH).
This National Science Foundation (NSF) Convergence Accelerator program project aims to develop an easy-to-search data hub where journalists, researchers, legislative staff members and ordinary citizens can discover information about issues such as water quality, land-use or the opioid crisis—and the policy decisions that shape them.
“We want to provide the American people with an advancement in science that they can understand,” said Windett. “The issue of transparency and availability of our government has been a hot topic over the last few decades, especially as policies are affecting our communities. We want to make this tool so people can become more informed not just about what’s going on in their state but across the entire country.”
“Data science plays a huge role in this project by allowing us to draw insights from unstructured data,” said Shaikh. “With data dating back to the 1950s, we can really make a difference in terms of evidence-based policy making.”
Strike while the iron is hot
As the field continues to play a prominent role in more industries, jobs in data science are outstretching the number of qualified candidates, and are projected to continue to do so. UNC Charlotte has responded to this challenge by establishing the first interdisciplinary School of Data Science (SDS) in the Carolinas.
The F-Dash research team, Rick Hudson, Samira Shaikh, Jason Windett, Gordon Hull and Stephanie Moller, is developing a nationwide database that consolidates information from separate sources.
Interdisciplinary by design, the SDS is led by Executive Director Doug Hague, center, with input from the deans of represented colleges: Nancy Gutierrez, CLAS; Fatma Mili, CCI; Provost Joan Lorden; Catrine Tudor-Locke, CHHS; and Jennifer Troyer, Belk College.
–PROVOST JOAN LORDEN
The January 2020 launch of SDS resulted from more than eight years of collaboration among the University, the University of North Carolina System and the region’s business leaders. At its core are the College of Computing and Informatics, the Belk College of Business, the College of Health and Human Services and the College of Liberal Arts & Sciences. UNC Charlotte’s multidisciplinary approach recognizes the evolution of data science across a wide swath of industries and the need for multiple skill sets to interpret and create meaning from data.
“While many programs in data science are located in a specific college or department, our vision for data science from the beginning has been interdisciplinary,” said Joan Lorden, provost and vice chancellor for Academic Affairs. “To apply the tools of data science effectively, it’s important to understand the nature of the questions that are being asked, and that requires expertise in one or more fields of study.”
Game-changing Research
In 2013, Chancellor Philip L. Dubois focused on several key strategic initiatives, including UNC Charlotte’s Data Science Initiative (DSI). At the time DSI was one of six game-changing research proposals funded by the North Carolina General Assembly and the UNC Board of Governors. The School of Data Science represents the next step of the University’s focus on data science research and academic programming.
The initiative established two Professional Science Master’s programs: Health Informatics and Analytics and Data Science and Business Analytics. Both programs have shown steady growth during the past eight years, producing more than 500 graduates and a current combined total of 260 enrolled students.
“The unique structure of the School of Data Science enables UNC Charlotte to benefit from as well as contribute to a world that is increasingly technology-focused, data rich and interdisciplinary in nature,” said Mirsad Hadzikadic, director of CCI’s Complex Systems Institute and DSI’s founding executive director. “At the forefront of data science’s nascent interdisciplinary direction, SDS is positioned to contribute to the field’s knowledge base and the economic prosperity of not only the region but the entire globe.”
Data science at UNC Charlotte originally earned the support of regional business partners due to its leadership in developing programs that provide a pipeline for highly skilled data science talent— and for serving as an expert resource for continuing education and external research. Corporations, such as Bank of America, Lowe’s Inc., Wells Fargo, TIAA and Microsoft, are relying on SDS to foster well-rounded leaders who are prepared to help drive data science innovation.
“I have been involved in this journey with UNC Charlotte for more than a decade, starting with designing the curriculum when Chancellor Dubois first made data science a priority,” said Ned Caroll, senior managing director, chief data officer for TIAA. “It has been amazing to see the outcomes of this focus come alive with professional certificates and graduate programs. UNC Charlotte has demonstrated a culture of innovation and agility in not only responding to the regional business community needs but also creating a pull for other organizations to look at this region.”
UNC Charlotte faculty engaged in data science-related research have received nearly $20 million in state and industry funding since 2013. And the Seed Grants for Data Science program has awarded more than $100,000 to UNC Charlotte researchers to help nurture early-stage research in the field and foster crossdisciplinary collaborations.
Thinking Future, Thinking Forward
To expand efforts for meeting the soaring demand for qualified data science professionals, in April 2020, SDS launched North Carolina’s first undergraduate program in data science. In 2018, the United States experienced a shortage of 151,000 data scientists, a gap that is expected to leap to 250,000 by 2025. A report commissioned by UNC Charlotte to explore the job market for data science graduates in North Carolina revealed that positions requiring competencies in data science more than doubled—from 2,337 to 4,777—in the last year alone.
“Communities and corporations are struggling to fill positions related to data and data science,” said Doug Hague, executive director for SDS. “The undergraduate program in data science will demonstrate to hiring managers and corporate leaders that UNC Charlotte graduates are prepared immediately for the roles they’ve identified as critical to the success of their businesses. As the world continues to shift toward digital, our graduates will lead the way in developing a better, more fair, and more efficient utilization of the resources of their employers and their community.”
Careers for graduates who earn SDS bachelor’s degrees include data science engineer, data analyst, research engineer, data science developer, to name only a few. To meet employer requirements, students will be able to take courses in machine learning, data analysis, statistics, data visualization, and central to SDS principles, ethics related to the field of data science.
To learn more, visit datascience.uncc.edu.
Katie Thomas is manager of communications and marketing for the School of Data Science.
Analytics alumni offer industry perspective
UNC Charlotte alumni J. Daniel Buchenberger ’18 M.S. and Anjali Khushalani ’18 M.S. ’19 M.S. are data analytics professionals who earned degrees through the University’s Data Science Initiative, the forerunner to the School of Data Science.
Buchenberger is a senior research analyst with the global market research firm Ipsos, and Khushalani is a data and analytics consultant for Ernst & Young’s Financial Service Organization.
For Buchenberger, who completed an M.S. in Health Informatics, UNC Charlotte’s blended approach to data science and health care was an attraction, as the health informatics program provides an opportunity to learn the technical skills required for data science while gaining domain expertise in health care.
Khushalani, originally a practicing dentist in India, said the University’s dual degree M.S. in Business Analytics and M.S. in Health Informatics program enabled her to learn more about the power of computation and predictive analysis on data. She found UNC Charlotte’s program the best for learning reproducible data analysis and collaborative problem solving through approachable instruction and group projects with students employed in various industries.
How did UNC Charlotte’s graduate program help launch or advance your career?
Buchenberger: The biggest benefit was the way I built relationships with my professors. Early on, I sat down with a few of them and asked the two or three most important skills I needed to acquire from the program. They provided a clear picture of requirements to work in the industry and assisted me in meeting my goals, including encouraging my involvement with the Health Analytics and Research Academy, an independent study that led to my first publication, and obtaining an internship that transitioned into my current job.
Khushalani: My master’s degrees led me to become an expert—rather than a generalist—in my field, aware of the changing trends in analytics. When I design a machine-learning model or perform data analysis, not only do I bring in the data and assess results, I have an awareness of policies related to privacy and security, as well as the ethical considerations involved.
What are your thoughts on the Data Science Initiative becoming the School of Data Science?
Khushalani: This resulted from visionary leadership. UNC Charlotte is moving the boundaries of what can be known about data science, and I am excited to see how the School of Data Science will fulfill the surging demand for data science professionals in the industry.
Buchenberger: With data science being a blend of domain, programming and statistics, the multidisciplinary nature of SDS will lead to an enriched curriculum for future students. The School of Data Science is truly a great achievement.
J. Daniel Buchenberger
