About
Principal Data Scientist at Microsoft Industry Solutions Engineering (Studio 1–3), creating high-impact AI tools for the largest enterprise Azure clients with a focus on the financial industry.
Previously: research scientist at Amazon Transport Sciences, applying machine learning to Amazon Freight / inbound transport service problems (lane-level forecasting, contract pricing, shipper willingness-to-pay, cost adjustments). I also applied skills to Alexa: NLP, neural embeddings, design, fixing bugs, improving entity resolution.
PhD from Penn State University (advisor: Dr. Vishal Monga) focused on synthetic aperture image formation and classification with neural networks. My background includes electrical engineering and mathematical biology; undergraduate and master’s research spanned applied mathematics and epidemiological / network modeling.
If you see anything on the website and want to know more, contact me.
Employment
Principal Data Scientist — Microsoft Industry Solutions Engineering (Studio 1–3)
- Creating high-impact AI tools for the largest enterprise Azure clients (financial industry focus).
- Applied ML / LLM systems, evaluation, and production delivery in complex enterprise environments.
Senior Research Scientist — Amazon Transport Sciences
- Amazon Freight / inbound transportation ML: lane-level forecasting, contract pricing, WTP modeling, cost adjustments.
- Alexa NLP work: neural embeddings, entity resolution improvements, and engineering support.
Imaging Scientist II — Indigo Ag (Boston, MA)
Established neural network infrastructure for hyperspectral image analysis of crop treatment effects; designed tree ensemble models to predict treatment performance; maintained automation tools and databases.
Research & Development Engineer — Penn State Applied Research Laboratory (State College, PA)
Devised neural network architectures for limited-training remote sensing imagery; resolved motion-induced errors in sonar imagery; applied signal processing techniques and traditional classifiers for raw acoustic / radar sensor outputs.
Business Analyst — Management Science Associates (Pittsburgh, PA)
Built statistical models assessing impact of social media on consumer goods sales; developed agent-based models in Java to understand effects of company Twitter campaigns.
Education
Pennsylvania State University
PhD Student — Dept. of Electrical Engineering & Computer Science
Advised by Dr. Vishal Monga
Research: sparse reconstruction–based classification, non-uniform fast Fourier transforms, neural networks.
Arizona State University
Masters — School of Applied Mathematics for Life and Social Sciences
Advised by Dr. Yun Kang
Research: graph theory, social insect network models, deterministic epidemiological models, frame theory.
University of Pittsburgh
Bachelor’s of Science (GPA 3.7) — Majors: Pure Mathematics, Africana Studies
Research: deterministic epidemiology models; agent-based models.
Publications
Presentations & Templates
Personal
Proud of my sisters (Mary McKay, Dr. Pilar McKay; co-founder Silver Lake Brewing Project). My mother taught Spanish at SUNY Geneseo since 1989. My dad is a high school educator (Teach for America); he earned the 2014–15 Edcouch–Elsa Secondary Teacher of the Year award.
