Nari Savanorke-Joyce: Zen and the Art of Data Science

I met Nari Savanorke-Joyce while living with 20 other people in a double-wide row home in Boston's most elite neighborhood. She had just graduated from Wellesley College (Hilary Clinton's Alma Mater) and was getting started in entry-level corporate America. 

Within a year she had become one of her company's most valuable data scientists. 

Nari and I used to go sailing on the Charles River. We'd talk about economics, education, and the future of technology. Those conversations were fascinating to be a part of, so I thought: "Why not bring the genius of Nari on the show?"

As a professional, Nari takes cutting edge predictive models from the dusty shelves of academia and puts them to work on important business cases. She's a technical expert in data science but more than that, she's a chameleon who deftly maneuvers the social and political conditions of whatever situation she's in.

Our conversation in episode 4 of Hacker Practice takes place on Skype, with Nari calling in from a poppin' lounge in Stockholm. If you're unfamiliar with data science or are looking for career advice for ambitious millennials, you will certainly enjoy this conversation with Nari Savanorke-Joyce.

[1.10] Why Nari booked a trip to Stockholm, Sweden on a whim?

[5.50] How Nari learnt about entrepreneurship through her parents

• The importance of failure in the journey and grit required to bounce back

[6.30] Why Nari uses meditation to stay focused 

• Application to business environment

[9.30] Adapting to the corporate world despite having entrepreneurship
in your blood

• How to adapt to different environments
• Parental influence in this domain

[13.50] Why putting yourself in a position where you aren’t in control is important for self-development

[16.10] Discussion on data science

Good data scientists excel in three directions:

1. Domain expertise
2. Computer science / programming skills
3. Statistical modelling skills

DATA SCIENCE = Taking massive quantities of data and turning it into actionable insights

[18.30] Discussion on the methodology of data science (How to Data Science 101)

1. Find a problem to solve
2. Find the data
3. Clean the data
4.  Apply a model

[22.10] How an insurance company uses data science to stop insurance fraud?

• Use models to predict low frequency high severity impact events

[30.30] Incentive structures in a data science role

[33.50] Using logistic regression to ask binary questions i.e. is person x likely to commit fraud?

• Using survivor modelling to understand claim lifespan

[37.30] Why data cleansing is the most time consuming component of data science?

• Using AI to detect pattern anomalies

[42.20] Discussion on behavioural economics (psychology and economics) and how to derive value in data science

[45.00] Behavioral economics is not classical economics

• Can behavioral economics be used to improve lives and business?

[45.30] Specific advice for ambitious young people

• Get out of debt
• Find community with older people

[47.00] Importance in investing in continuous education

• Focus on learning as a motivator

[51.50] Diversification vs focus lesson from Nari’s parents - “You have to go all in if you really want to pursue something”  

[55.00] On insurance start-ups attracting corporate talent

• Begin with the “why” and be more than profit seeking

[58.10] Personal finance and budgeting

• Awareness via categorisation of spending
• Automatically save a percentage of your income

[1.03.20] Future of data science

• Using data to continuously dive deeper and personalise – huge potential in the health sector

[1.05.00] Nari provides podcast interview tactics that she’d like to see adopted by Hacker Practice podcast

[1.06.00] Nari’s Top tier interviewees:

• Thich Nhat Hanh – Meditation as we walk through life
• Michelle Obama

[1.10.10] Nari’s book recommendations

• Superforecasting: The Art and Science of Prediction, Philip Tetlock & Dan Gardner
• Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand
• The Fountainhead by Ayn Rand
• Colorless Tsukuru Tazaki and His Years of Pilgrimage by Haruki Murakami

[1.15.10] Travel hacks to save money

• Grocery stores are a great way to save money instead of eating out but also to learn about local food and culture
• Walk everywhere, especially if the city or place you are visiting is compact

[1.16.20] Final piece of advice to listeners

• Try 10 minutes of meditation per day