Transition from statistics to data science driven by tech opportunities.
Machine learning enhances open banking by analyzing transaction data and improving financial services.
Deep dives
Evolution of Tech Interest
Alex discusses his transition from a statistics graduate to exploring data science and machine learning, driven by the evolving field and opportunities in tech. His journey involved exploring various areas like statistical research and computational statistics, ultimately leading to the realm of machine learning.
Open Banking and Machine Learning
Truelayer's focus on open banking, driven by regulations like PSD2, opened opportunities for financial institutions to innovate. Alex explains how machine learning plays a key role in analyzing transaction data, identifying patterns, and enhancing financial services through data insights.
Machine Learning Engineering vs. Data Science
Alex distinguishes between data scientists, specializing in experimentation and hypothesis testing, and machine learning engineers focusing on deploying robust end-to-end machine learning solutions. He emphasizes the importance of understanding these distinct mentalities and roles in the tech landscape.
Qualities for Machine Learning Engineers
Alex highlights the essential qualities for machine learning engineers, including adaptability to new technologies, a passion for continuous learning, and active involvement in the tech community. He underscores the significance of being a generalist in computing, cloud technologies, and databases while maintaining a strong focus on machine learning principles.
What does the MLOps pipeline at London Based FinTech startup TrueLayer look like?
London Based Fintech start-up TrueLayer decided to use Machine Learning instead of a rule-based system in mid-2019 and in our 7th meetup we spoke to their lead data scientist Alex Spanos about everything that entailed. During the meetup, we dove into how TrueLayer architected their MLOps pipeline for their Open Banking API: more specifically which tools they use and why, what prompted them to use machine learning, and how Alex sees the role of a Machine Learning Engineer. Alex has led the hiring process of Machine Learning Engineers and shared learnings on candidates and businesses alike.
Alex is the Lead Data Scientist at TrueLayer, focussing on building Open Banking API products powered by data. Prior to TrueLayer, he built predictive models in Financial Services, used social data to predict the “next-big-thing” in Fast Moving Consumer Goods and introduced Machine Learning techniques in subsurface imaging.
His academic background is in Applied Mathematics & Statistics.