Approximately two years ago, I joined Kickstart AI as a data scientist. My first project was with the Dutch Food Bank, where some colleagues and I used data analytics to measure poverty in the Netherlands. Since then, I've participated in a number of challenges, including projects with ING and NS, always focusing on translating complex problems into technical solutions that create real impact.
My path to AI started in an unexpected place – astronomy. Back in Colombia, while studying physics at the university in Bogotá, I met someone who was doing her PhD at Leiden University. She told me about the Netherlands' excellent reputation in astronomy – it's one of the best countries in the world for this field. So I applied for a PhD position at Leiden, got accepted, and that's how I ended up moving to the Netherlands 13 years ago (I've grown used to the weather and everything else – it feels like home now).
After completing my PhD in astronomy, I decided not to continue in academia. However, I discovered a strong interest in data science. My first experience with machine learning came from building predictive models for house prices. From there, I moved into consultancy, doing models for water risk management and subsoil analysis. I worked on various projects, from analyzing satellite images to predict landslides to using data for land subsidence prediction.
After COVID, I moved into e-commerce. I worked on route optimisation and scaling routing algorithms using machine learning. These diverse experiences showed me the tremendous power of AI in solving real-world problems.
I was attracted to Kickstart because I have the opportunity to work on meaningful projects that improve society while working with large Dutch organizations, all while being in a startup environment. It's really the best of both worlds: I get to learn what other organisations are doing with AI and, at the same time, I can also network with data scientists at our partner companies, while still being in a startup environment. It’s great!
The project with the Dutch Food Bank is in my heart. We're helping them reach people in need of food. I feel proud because we’re helping Dutch society through data science.
I'm also proud of my work with NS, using computer vision techniques to detect unattended objects. It's very satisfying to see how the model we’ve developed can help NS security people detect objects that might be dangerous.
Both projects have a strong societal component, which I’m proud of.
I mostly use open-source Python libraries. In my daily work, I use Pandas, Scikit-learn, Skopt, Keras, Plotly – I live, breathe, write and think in Python!
Thanks to the huge data science community around the world, these Python libraries are very well maintained. You don't need to develop much from scratch. The data scientist's work is about translating a client's problem into technical terms, then selecting the most appropriate algorithm to give insights.
AI has already been impacting society for some time. Some "common" examples are the facial recognition feature when you unblock your phone or the filters you use on Instagram. However, AI is also used to predict the climate or to make agriculture more sustainable. It's just that with the rise of tools such as ChatGPT, society is paying more attention to AI now.
If we look at the current GenAI tools, I think they allow software developers and data scientists to have superpowers. I've used some of these tools in my daily work and noticed an increase in my productivity. It's exciting to see the impact of this technology on different labor sectors, from music creation to document translation. You can even use LLMs to learn a new language! We are entering a new era where AI will profoundly impact our society.
What I love is that I learn a lot from everybody here. We get to experiment with state-of-the-art models and discuss new advancements, all while working on real-world projects. My colleagues are extremely knowledgeable and sociable, which makes collaboration easy and enjoyable.
The broader Kickstart AI community is special too - this is the first time I have seen such a thing in the Netherlands. Kickstart wants to join efforts with other organizations to create a unified community. If we want to adopt AI in the Netherlands faster, we need this unified community.
Be curious and eager to learn new things, because this field evolves rapidly. Don't feel stressed by those rapid changes – every topic is interesting, and every challenge is a learning opportunity. If you enjoy solving challenges and continuous learning, then this is the proper field to be in. Just continue forward and build your network!
I'm a watch enthusiast! I have a collection of 14 watches. Ever since I was a little kid, I remember having multiple watches in my bedroom... And, as a physicist, I like to think about time a lot 😄...
💡 Want to learn more about Kickstart AI and our mission to accelerate AI adoption in the Netherlands? Check out our website or connect with Carmen on LinkedIn!
