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It’s hardly a secret that the AI and Data Science communities suffer from a great under representation of women. Breaking through the barriers that exist to enter is far from easy, which is at least partly an explanation of why this trend continues. Fortunately, hard work is being done to help change this dynamic. Leading the way is proud, woman, daughter, wife, Data Scientist at IBM, and Ethical AI Advocate Saishruthi Swaminathan. Powered by a laser-like focus and resilience Saishruthi made the journey from living a simple life in a village to being a well-respected Ethical AI Advocate along with holding a position as a Data Scientist at IBM. This journey taught her how to overcome fear, manage pressure, and overcome biases all related to being a woman wanting to work in these fields and follow her passion and dreams. Now she hopes to share her experience with or even mentor other women who are also trying to explore Ethical AI and Data Science as career paths.
“Fear, Pressure, and Bias – Most of the women in today’s world succumb to this,” commented the clearly passionate Saishruthi. “I succumbed to these as well until I asked myself `Why Not Me?` My life changed when I contemplated this question. I was able to block out the negative influences around me. Every single step with grit and determination helped me win over, despite the discrimination. If a single thought can change my life, I am sure it can change many lives if it is spread in the right way. So I decided to reach out and help where and when I can.”
Saishruthi’s accomplishments, so far, are quite remarkable. When considered in the light of her coming from a small village and facing both economic and gender-related challenges, they are even more impressive. Highlights include research assisting in smart city data annotation; working with the city of San Jose to improve its advanced warning capabilities through AI; she has given over 50 talks in the last two years covering Ethical AI, Data Science, and women in tech, while also serving as a mentor and speaker at numerous Women in Tech events; being an active author on Medium with over 2000 followers and her articles read by over 208K and viewed by 597K people; successfully creating a course on Data Visualization in Python for Coursera which has over 113,000 learners; and much more.
And this is just the beginning of this wildly skilled and socially conscious inspiration. She encourages women in tech who are facing challenges to get in touch and see how she can help.
Connect with Saishruthi Swaminathan on Medium and Linkedin.
About Saishruthi Swaminathan
Passionate about transforming data into useful products. Happy sharing my knowledge in data science with all!!
