Welcome New Members: Spotlight on Andrew Triska

This month, we spotlight new member Andrew Triska, who answered the following questions so we could get to know him better:

How did you become interested in statistics and/or data science?

I fell in love with genomic and transcriptomic research during my recently completed master’s in biology. I realized the statistical problems posed by biodata are exactly the kind of puzzle my brain enjoys.

What do you consider your dream job?

My dream job is doing computational biology research in food science and agriculture. I love taking large, complex biological data sets and squishing them together into something that makes sense, and I particularly like seeing the real-world effects of data science in the food system.

What do you hope understanding statistics and/or data science helps you accomplish?

I hope that growing my data science skill set helps me develop new tools to answer questions about contamination and adulteration in the food system. I’m hopefully headed to a PhD program in the fall, and although I’m unsure whether academia or industry is my final destination, I know I want to keep working on these types of problems.

Is there a particular group of statisticians you would like to reach out to you?

I’m very interested in the work Statistics Without Borders does in public health.

What is your favorite hobby?

Outside of academics, I’m a wine writer and long-distance runner.

What is something you would like people to know about you that we haven’t asked?

I’m a career-changer from a 12-year career as a psychotherapist. You’d be surprised at how much of therapy is just applied data science!

Welcome to Our Newest Members