Sam Stockman

Graduated in Mathematics with Study Abroad MSci 2019

Current role

Senior Data Scientist, Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA), UK Civil Service

Please tell us a bit about your career path since graduating from the University.

After graduating from my MSci, I moved to Glasgow and worked for a music distribution company just as the COVID pandemic began. I later returned to Bristol to start a PhD through the COMPASS CDT, where my research focused on machine learning–based earthquake forecasting. Following graduation, I spent nine months as a postdoctoral researcher in the School of Earth Sciences. Although I still spend some time on academic research, I’ve now moved into the public sector to explore a career in applied data science.

Please tell us about your current job role.

I work in a team of data scientists that provides a cloud computing platform and project support across the DEFRA group (including Natural England and the Environment Agency). My role involves supporting a wide range of environmental projects, from geospatial modelling to data engineering and machine learning. I also lead our team’s training delivery, coordinating and teaching users how to user our platform. I also research the applicability of geospatial foundation models in DEFRA. Alongside this, I continue to collaborate on earthquake forecasting research with Dr Maximilian Werner (University of Bristol) and Dr Mostafa Mousavi (Harvard University).

What one piece of advice would you give our current students regarding employability?

Look at job adverts well before you start applying, it helps you understand what employers value and lets you tailor your projects and learning towards those skills.