aboutus
We are a community for womxn in data science and pride ourselves on providing a platform for womxn from diverse backgrounds to showcase their career journeys and knowledge share.
We're here to encourage the diversification of the talent pipeline for data science and other data careers.
Whether you are curious about data science or a seasoned professional in the space, we have something for you at the Toronto Womxn in Data Science Conference
The conference is a two-day event where you will get a chance to hear from womxn in academia, industry, government, and start-ups about how they apply data science to their work and their career journeys. The second day will have workshops to help promote professional development and employment readiness.
2020 Speakers
FEATURED INDUSTRY EXPERTS
01
Claudette McGowan
Global Executive Officer
Claudette is a global information technology leader with more than 17 years of success leading digital transformations and designing new approaches that improve service experiences.
02
University of Toronto
Dr. Molly Shoichet
University Professor and Canada Research Chair
Professor Molly Shoichet holds the Tier 1 Canada Research Chair in Tissue Engineering at the University of Toronto. Dr. Shoichet has published over 675 papers, patents and abstracts and has given over 400 lectures worldwide. She currently leads a laboratory of 25 and has graduated 190 researchers.
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03
Glassbox
Dr. Sarah Shoker
Founder
Sarah is a postdoctoral fellow at the University of Waterloo where she works on issues related to gender, emerging technologies, and international security. She also founded Glassbox, a social impact firm that analyzes software products for signs of bias and legal risk.
04
Integrate.ai
Charu Jaiswal
Machine Learning Scientist
Charu completed her Masters in machine learning and industrial engineering from the University of Toronto. She is a Machine Learning Scientist at Integrate.ai, where she builds predictive models to help large enterprises become more customer-centric.
05
GoldSpot
Sarah Sun
Chief Data Strategist
Sarah has worked across multiple industries including banking, technology, and natural resources. As Chief Data Strategist for GoldSpot, she is focused on driving long-term growth and revenue through combining the geological sciences with artificial intelligence.
06
RBC Capital Markets
Faezeh Khabbaz
Head of Data Science in Global Research
Faezeh holds a PhD in robotics, from the University of Toronto. She leads the RBC Elements team, a primary research and data science team that uses advanced artificial intelligence and analytics to extract meaningful insights from alternative data.
07
MaRS Discovery District
Asa Motha-Pollock
Research Analyst
Asa Motha-Pollock is a Research Analyst at MaRS Discovery District. She develops data-driven products and reports with a focus on the future of work and the innovation economy. She supports the analytics in the build of planext.
08
Avanade
Meghana Madhusudhan
Manager of Data Science
Meghana Madhusudhan is a seasoned data science professional with 7+ years of academic and professional experience. She is a Computer Science Engineer who holds a Master’s degree in Business Analytics and Operational Research from Manchester Business School.
09
Delphia
Serena McDonnell
Senior Data Scientist
Serena is a Senior Data Scientist at Delphia, where she works on combining public opinion and social media data to drive stock market predictions. Serena holds an MSc in Mathematics from the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, and a BSc in Mathematics and Biology from McGill University.
10
360insights.com
Nataliya Portman
Manager of Data Science
Nataliya is a Manager of Data Science at 360insights.com where she is committed to the development of predictive sales channel analytics that will help channel leaders maximize the return on investment of their channel incentive programs. She is also the co-inventor of “Bid-Assist” and “AutoVision”.
2020 Workshop Facilitators

Agenda
March 2, 2020
9:00
Arrival & Breakfast
9:30
Morning Keynote Molly Shoichet How to expand the STEM talent funnel and encourage women to stay in the game
10:05
Sarah Shoker - The Politics of Data Sets: How Data Collection Produces Algorithmic Discrimination
10:35
Sarah Sun - Data, Privacy & Ethics in Geosciences
11:10
Break
11:30
Asa Motha-Pollock - Planext: Using Data Science to Help Canadians Prepare for the Future of Work
12:00
Meghana Madhusudhan - Data Science in Healthcare: How to Choose and Solve the Right Business Problem
12:25
Jill Cates - A Brief Introduction to Hyperparameter Optimization
12:55
Lunch
2:00
Afternoon Keynote Claudette McGowan - DemystifAI
2:35
Charu Jaiswal - Machine Learning Models after Deployment: Testing, Monitoring, and Re-training
3:05
Nataliya Portman - Uncertainty-Aware Forecasting for Effective Incentive Management
3:35
Break
3:50
Faezeh Khabbaz - Applying Data Science to the Investment Industry
4:20
Serena McDonnell - Machine Learning in Financial Markets: Pitfalls and Solutions
4:50
Closing Remarks
5:00
The Afterparty & Social Networking
Agenda
March 3, 2020
9:00
Arrival & Breakfast
9:30
Room A - Measuring Customer Experience with Arya Abdool
Room B - From Agile AI & Minimum Viable Data to Integration and Enablement with Rogayeh Tabrizi
11:30
Lunch
12:45
Room A - Bridging The Gap: Audience Centric Communication with Zainab Bisiolu
Room B - FairML from Theory to Practice: Lessons Drawn from our Journey to Build a Fair Product with Divya Sivasankaran
2:45
Break
3:00
Room A - Understanding if your data is inclusive with Cassie Myers
Room B - Knowing Your Worth in Your Career with Yvonne Odonkor
Speakers and schedule subject to change
01
04
200
DAY
SPEAKERS
PARTICIPANTS
The Venue
Bram and Bluma Appel Salon
789 Yonge St 2nd floor
Toronto, ON M4W 2G8
This year's conference will be hosted in the Bram and Bluma Appel Salon of the Toronto Reference Library.