🎓 MLOps lessons learned helping companies build their ML systems with Lee Harper, Lead DS at Catapult

In this episode, I'm speaking with Lee Harper, Principal Data Scientist at Catapult Systems. Lee holds a Ph.D. in Physical and Theoretical Chemistry. Lee is a teacher-turned-data scientist. We cover the various entry paths into the world of data science, the value of background diversity, security in ML production, and even AI fairness.  

Join our Discord community: https://discord.gg/tEYvqxwhah 

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Timestamps: 

• 00:00 Podcast intro 
• 01:00 Guest introduction 
• 01:39 How did you get into the fields of data science and machine learning? 
• 05:04 Coding boot camps vs. academia & diversity of backgrounds in ML 
• 09:37 How does the process of bringing your work into production change over the years? 
• 13:02 How has the change in the languages used for data science affected production processes? 
• 16:01 How do you accelerate the timeframes for getting from POC to production in ML? 
• 18:19 Do data scientists reinvent the wheel more often than software developers, and why? 
• 22:14 The value of learning how to Google 
• 23:00 Recurring themes, challenges, and common issues in data science 
• 27:50 Solving for security in ML in production 
• 31:57 ML security considerations for startups 
• 34:30 Data security considerations in ML 
• 35:18 What is the most interesting topic in machine learning right now? 
• 38:05 ML fairness, bias, and responsible AI 
• 41:44 What does it mean to build a fair or unbiased model? 
• 47:15 If you had to choose one challenge in bringing models to production, what would it be? 
• 51:00 What are the tools and processes that you use to make the transition to production easier? 
• 55:35 About "vendor lock-in" 
• 58:00 Your favorite tool recommendations 
• 1:03:35 Recommendations for the audience 

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Relevant Links: 

• Linux Command Line and Shell Scripting Bible – https://www.amazon.com/Linux-Command-Shell-Scripting-Bible/dp/1119700914
• Project Hail Mary – https://www.amazon.com/Project-Hail-Mary-Andy-Weir/dp/0593135202 

Social Links: 

• https://www.linkedin.com/company/dagshub/
• https://www.linkedin.com/company/catapult-systems/
  
• https://www.linkedin.com/in/leeharper2425/
• https://twitter.com/DeanPlbn
• https://twitter.com/TheRealDAGsHub