Alumnus Jeremy McMinis Opens 2014 - 2015 Physics Careers Seminar Series on Sept. 11

The Fall 2014 Physics Careers seminar series opens on Thursday, Sept. 11, 2014 with alumnus Jeremy McMinis (PhD '13):

Time: 11 a.m. on Thursday, September 11, 2014 (refreshments served at 10:30 a.m.)

Location: 204 Loomis Laboratory (Interaction Room)

Title:  From UIUC Physics PhD to National Lab to Tech Startup

Speaker: Dr. Jeremy McMinis, Wizeline

Abstract:   Are you interested in working as a postdoctoral researcher at a national lab or as a data scientist in tech after you graduate? I'll be discussing my transition to these fields and tips for adapting to their unique cultures. In specific, we will start our discussion with Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory: it's application process, structure, work environment, and career possibilities. From there we will go over the job search, interview process and coding interview, as well as the lessons I learned while transitioning from academia to data scientist/analyst. Finally, we'll talk about what it's like to work as an analyst and an early employee at a fast moving tech company. I'll pay particular attention to the skills required to get a data scientist job and how to cultivate them.

Bio: Jeremy graduated from Illinois in 2013 from the Ceperley group where he developed quantum Monte Carlo methods and code for condensed matter research. Upon graduation, he took a postdoctoral researcher position at Lawrence Livermore National Lab and continued his work with QMC while branching out in new directions. To this end, he began work part time as a data scientist for an education startup in San Jose and sat in with the lab's deep learning group. In January of 2014 he left the lab to become an early employee of Wizeline, a tech startup in Silicon Valley. At Wizeline, he is currently solving business problems with data analysis and building awesome products.

Note: While he's in Urbana, Jeremy is interested in meeting with any students interested in discussing job opportunities in data science and analysis. If you would like to meet with him on Thursday, Sept. 11, please send me an e-mail, slcooper@illinois.edu, so I can arrange a meeting.

You can see the rest of the Fall 2014 Physics Careers Seminar series here: http://physics.illinois.edu/events/seminars.asp?cal=4014