About Me


Hi, my name is Richard Mathews II :wave:

Professionally, I am a data scientist working for a Fortune 500 company. Academically, I am a graduate student at Berkeley studying for a master's in data science. Personally, I explore how topics in science and analytics can help humans live better lives.

Halfway through my bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering, I pivoted to data science because I felt it was a better fit for my curiosity and analytical mindset. After this inflection point, I went on to lead AI-enabled product build teams at UT Austin, conduct computer vision research, start my career in data science at a global Fortune 500 company, and pursue a master’s degree in data science at UC Berkeley.

My current professional responsibilities are to develop end-to-end AI products that combine mathematical optimization and machine learning to enable better decision-making, implement MLOps and DataOps best practices, build scalable ETL and machine learning pipelines in the Azure Databricks platform, and serve as a “bridge” between business problems and data-driven solutions.

I view nearly everything as an optimization problem. Since my time as an undergrad, I have explored how to be more productive, healthy, and happy using data. I synthesize research literature to find ways to accelerate learning, enhance creativity, and increase productivity. I collect over a hundred variables every day on my diet, health, and mood for statistical analysis, as well as to conduct randomized control trials for purported health interventions. I have tracked how I spend my time for years, which helps me objectively measure how productive I have been and whether I am allocating my time appropriately to activities that I value.

In essence, data science extends well beyond my professional/academic work into my personal life. Feel free to contact me for a one-on-one discussion about my professional or personal data science work.