Data Science as an Art. May Student Highlight of the Month: Apos Mourouzis
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/apostolos-mourouzis-465a3071/
Tell us a little about yourself. Where are you from, what languages do you speak, and what did you previously study?
I was born, raised and educated in Athens, Greece albeit in an international school, which exposed me to a diverse group of multicultural individuals from a young age. As my school was a British one, English became my native tongue, while Greek comes a close second (sorry Dad). I am also trying to come up to speed on both my Spanish and French, pero es muy deficil, n’est ce pas?
I was always intrigued by puzzles, so when I programmed for the first time in high school I found that this triggered my curiosity, as it was a very intricate, elaborate and constructive form of ‘puzzle solving’. In fact it’s quite funny because as a child I wanted to become a builder (I have no idea why), and I guess that programming is parallel to that, although with digital ‘building blocks’. I pursued this subject at university and studied Computer Science at Imperial College, which took the subject into a lot more depth than I had previously experienced. Following this degree, I wanted to compliment my technical skills with some business acumen so I took Masters in Management at Imperial Business School.
And to deviate from the more formal questions, my favorite colour is blue (I don’t think you have a choice when you grow up in Greece), I would always choose wine over beer and I have an antagonistic relationship with cheese!
Do you have any work experience? If yes, do tell us about it.
I have had the opportunity to work in several companies across different industries. My first internship was as a Software Developer with YossarianLives, a search engine that is solving the problems of the filter bubble by finding alternative results for search queries based on metaphorical connections with the search term. Following my Master’s degree I worked for another startup called Contadd which deals with embedded digital advertising.
Later I decided to move into a large corporation in order to understand exactly how things work behind the ‘veil’. While working for Shell, I worked as both a Risk Analyst and Change Analyst. I was lucky (or unlucky depending on the viewpoint) to be working as a Change Analyst during the oil crisis so I was involved in a lot of restructuring and cost reduction schemes which required constant tracking, managing and reporting to senior stakeholders, as it was one of the company’s priorities at the time.
What drew you to Big Data?
I was exposed to a lot of data while working as a Change Analyst in Shell, and although I managed to derive insights from this, I realized that with a proper skillset it would be possible to learn so much more than what I could extract with simple pivot tables and VBA.
More importantly, I feel that data - pure information - is the single most accurate representation of our world. In its raw form; it contains no bias, and this is the reason that data collection has always been the basis of science. Now with the vast quantities of data available from a huge array of mediums, it is very difficult to understand where causation truly lies. It is the role of the data scientist to cut through all the superfluous information and identify the truth of a situation.
And with data on human movement, behavior, likes, dislikes, weather, stocks, transactions all quantifiable and available, the insights that are possible by leveraging big data analytics would startle any historic scientist or philosopher (here’s to you Plato).
Are you pursuing any extra-curricular activity/activities? If yes, how does it help you as a Big Data student?
The Masters is my extra-curricular! But no, seriously – I think Madrid gives you endless activities to keep you entertained outside the degree, and for me this has included playing football with some of the other Big Data students (shout out to Los Pollos). However I also make sure to stay involved in activities that directly help in my progress as a Big Data student. Recently, this has been through the Venture Lab.
Following the second term’s Start Up Challenge, my team and I were accepted into the Venture Lab with our start-up idea. We now attend several workshops a week and are aiming to rapidly expand our concept in order to produce a MVP in the coming months. And what’s even more exciting is that the skills we learn daily in lectures can be applied directly to optimizing and tweaking our project.
Your LinkedIn profile mentions that you aspire to become a Data Artist. Can you tell us a little more about the “art” in this career.
Yes indeed! I find the term ‘scientist‘ implies a rigid, formulated methodology to deriving value, whereas I believe it is more important to creatively adapt your approach to uncover insights in big data. No two data sets are the same, and the best strategies require a unique blend of one's technical expertise and intuition. Data Analytics will give you the ability to sift through a whole ‘haystack’ to find the needle, but a data artist is someone who would say “Hey, how about this magnet…?”
It is an artist’s role to see things that others cannot, and then express them through a medium of their choice, be it through music, film, storytelling or any form of art. Big data requires not only this sense of perception, but also the ‘narration’ that comes with it. The inability to convey this in a clear format will negate the benefits of any insights.
For me it’s the creativity in Big Data that keeps me hooked, for example in a recent assignment aimed at understanding the status of water pumps in Tanzania, my team translated a seemingly useless column from Swahili to English to identify keywords that revealed additional clues about the location of the pumps. Over the next few years it will be the creative applications of this technology that will change the world we live in.
Plus being a “Data Artist” allows me to pretend I’m a suppressed and misunderstood creative. Cue application to Soho House.
What are your short and long-term professional goals after the Masters?
This is always a difficult question to answer and if you asked me three years ago I would have had a different answer, while in three years’ time I’m sure I will have yet another one. However one thing I am certain about is that I see myself always staying within technology, as it has been a central driver in all my decisions thus far.
In the short term, I would like to apply my data analytics skills to extract untapped value in the real world. Smart cities, art, the news and agriculture are areas that particularly interest me due to their constructive social value. Long term there are definitely unforeseen technological changes so I cannot accurately predict what I will be doing. But my curiosity will ensure that I stay at the forefront of these changes. At the later stages of my career I hope to do this with autonomy so I have the opportunity to travel and prioritize both my family and friends. I also want to keep strong ties with my home country, Greece, as it is a place with great potential that I would like to help see flourish again, as right now it seems to be having a domestic ‘mid-life’ crisis.
How would you define IE Master’s experience and what do you value most?
I find that the Master’s experience is quite similar to the experience of learning to cook a new cuisine – you’ve always been around the ingredients but you’re now learning to make a three-course meal from them. Yes, you may have the odd food poisoning but by the time you’re done you’ll have a line of customers waiting to try what you have on offer. If only I actually knew how to cook as well…
In regards to what I value the most, the fact that I have come from a working background makes me appreciate that I am now learning something new and tangible every day which can be applied to common problems in business. It’s always fun seeing the expression on my friends’ face when you can derive unexpected insights from their own company data.
And on top of it all, the lifestyle in Madrid is unparalleled, especially when coming from the rains of London. Leave your umbrellas behind.
What would be your advice for future students?
As potential Big Data Professionals you are taking on the mantle of digital explorers. A lot of the world’s hidden secrets will be available in the web of data you will learn to traverse. You will travel across unchartered (digital) territories and stumble upon (binary) treasures but it is important to maintain a sense of integrity throughout, as your ability to discover comes with the burden of responsibility. Do not twist the data to your or your employer’s advantage, as doing so will simply undermine your own profession.
And something else that has stayed with me since my time in Shell is that “perfect is the enemy of good”. Do not strive for perfection and miss the opportunity to deliver something good in the process.
But don’t forget, all work and no play makes Jack a dull boy! Make sure to really get out into the city. As one of the most beautiful places in Europe you don’t want to miss out on everything Madrid has to offer.
And in the words of a famous sentient AI being…hasta la vista!