Arshjot Khehra, Data Scientist, Swiss Data Science Center

To help current students and recent graduates navigate the world of work, several USI Alumni shared their career paths and career story. Here the story of Arshjot Khehra, Data Scientist at Swiss Data Science Center in Zurich (CH). USI Degree: Master in Artificial Intelligence, 2022.

How did you start your career?

I obtained my bachelor's degree in Industrial Engineering from PEC Chandigarh. Afterwards, I worked for 4+ years across India and Singapore gaining data science experience in insurance, logistics, and manufacturing sectors. After completing my MSc in Artificial Intelligence from USI, I interviewed for Swiss Data Science Center (SDSC) and got hired as a Data Scientist for the Innovation team based in Zürich.

Why did you choose a career in Swiss Data Science Center (SDSC)?

I was interested in working on applied machine learning projects. Further, I was looking to gain experience across different domains. The innovation team at SDSC strives to bring data science to different industries based in the Swiss-German area and seemed like a good fit for my aspirations. Moreover, the working environment at SDSC is very warm and inviting which further supported my decision to join SDSC.

What is your current role/duties?

My current duties include:

• Design, implement, and test machine learning systems to join industry challenges
• Meet customers to understand their specific business needs and design data science solutions to solve selected problems
• Code and test the proposed solution, communicate results to stakeholders and provide final work reports
• Business development and assistance in growing the SDSC Zürich team

In your opinion, what are the qualities necessary for a successful career in Swiss Data Science Center (SDSC)?

I think proactiveness and ability to work independently are very important. Moreover, a strong understanding of data science concepts and curiosity to explore cutting edge solutions is required. A major part of the job involves interacting with the stakeholders so strong communication skills and ability to explain technical topics in a simplified manner is also necessary.

What positive aspects and qualities meant most to you during your studies at USI?

USI places a strong emphasis on understanding the underlying concepts in machine learning. Also, the curriculum at USI is very varied which was one of the reasons I decided to pursue my master's here. The small batch size, easy interaction with professors and researchers, peers with different backgrounds, and a general warm and open environment made my experience at USI a memorable one.

What is your advice to USI students entering the job market?

Understand what kind of role you are looking for and ensure you have a way to clearly display / prove to the employers that you have the required skillset for the job.