With degrees in Computer Engineering, Business Management, and Management Information Systems, I possess the ability to think critically and solve complex problems. I can straddle the gap between the technical and business applications. Expertise in creating machine/deep learning models and employing advanced data analytics and statistical concepts. Strong track record of research experience, focusing on behavioral experiments, design science, natural language processing (NLP), and, statistical modeling. Training in deep learning. Analytical, critical thinking, and project management skills that translate data into actionable insights for decision-making and resolving real-world business issues. Successfully prototyped interactive dashboards for data visualization and developed an automated interviewing system using animated avatars, voice-to-text transcription, linguistic analysis, and text-to-voice libraries. Experience in training and mentoring individuals to drive professional development and growth in the field of data analytics.
Hi, I’m
Matt Pickard
Sycamore,USA
Summary
Overview
21
years of professional experience
Work History
Northern Illinois University
Associate Professor of Data, Analytics and AI
06.2018 - Current
Job overview
- Proven ability to design and execute experiments, extract insights, and summarize findings as demonstrated by 11 peer-reviewed publications including 5 first-author papers and a publication in the #1 Accounting journal.
- Solid experience with a variety of machine learning and NLP approaches as evidenced by the creation of 80+ models, including LDA, FastText, Word2Vec, BERTopic, t-SNE, UMAP, factor analysis, SVM, XGBoost, CART, k-means, multiple linear regression, logistic regression, hierarchical regression, k-means, and hierarchical clustering
- Expertise in text preparation/analysis, big data, and NLP as evidenced by the collection and preparation of a 2.3-billion-word text corpus; the creation and evaluation of 48 natural language models from a 52-million-word text corpus; and the creation and evaluation of 3 topic models
- Ability to think critically about the performance of language models as evidenced by working with professionals in multiple disciplines to create a validated set of 25 similarity word pairs and 20 word analogies to evaluate the quality of a tax-specific language model
- Continuous ability to learn a variety of technologies including R, R Shiny, ggplot2, tidyverse, tidymodels, NumPy, Scikit-Learn, Tableau, Power BI gensim, and as demonstrated by the completion of a 5-course deep learning certification, 14+ DataCamp courses
- Increased the data and analytics knowledge, data literacy, and critical thinking skills of 500+ students using SQL, R, Tableau, Excel, and process diagraming software
- Authored 5-lesson Excel for Accountants course for Wiley; completed by 14,000+ learners
- Authored 8 two-hour instructional courses for Becker CPA on artificial intelligence, machine learning, Alteryx programming, Power BI, and Python; completed by 8100+ professionals
- Authored a 4-module Dimensionality Reduction in R course for Datacamp; completed by 800+ learners with an average course rating of 4.5
University of New Mexico
Assistant Professor of AIS & Analytics
08.2012 - 05.2018
Job overview
- Strong and versatile researcher as demonstrated by the execution of 14 behavioral lab experiments and the analysis of 14 experimental data sets resulting in 11 peer-reviewed publications and 3 causal models
- Strong ability to customize technical training to organizational needs as evidenced by the development of a week-long training for 15 professionals at Sandia National Labs to learn R and build dashboards in R Shiny
- Improved the data, analytic, and business process diagramming skills of 650+ students in using R, SQL, Tableau, and Excel
- Mentored 14 MBA for educators’ professionals, provided guidance on problem definition, research questions, and data analysis while serving as a Committee Chair for their thesis practicum
- Increased the analytical capability of 7+ organizations, including the City of Santa Fe's Finance department, using Excel
- Ability to design, understand, and improve business processes as evidenced by mentoring 10 professionals on business process design and documentation.
Sandia National Labs
Faculty Summer Data Analytics Intern
05.2017 - 08.2017
Job overview
- Created reports and charts to provide maximum visibility of research data/findings to senior management and team members
- Prototyped multiple interactive visualizations dashboards by utilizing R Shiny and company data warehouse
- Persuaded management to adopt R Shiny as the production platform by prototyping two decision-making dashboards in R Shiny
University of Arizona
Research Associate
08.2008 - 07.2012
Job overview
- Impacted the advancement of U.S Homeland security through the development of an automated avatar-based interviewing system built with C++ and Python
- The system leveraged voice-to-text translation, basic linguistic analysis, text-to-speech generation, and photo-morphing software
- Ability to build a robust testing plan and quantify the performance of a system as evidenced by the evaluation of an avatar-based automated interviewing system tested on 545 participants to demonstrate that individuals are 21 to 32 percent more likely to disclose policy violations to an avatar than to a human
- Participants rated the interviewer more likeable when their facial features were morphed into the avatar’s face
Raytheon Missile Systems
Programming Instructor (Contractor)
01.2009 - 01.2010
Job overview
- Enhanced student comprehension by incorporating real-world examples and hands-on coding exercises in programming lessons.
Brigham Young University
Research Assistant
01.2007 - 04.2008
Job overview
National Instruments
Project Manager
01.2005 - 06.2006
Job overview
National Instruments
Software Engineer
01.2004 - 01.2005
Job overview
Education
The University of ArizonaTucson, AZ
Ph.D. from Management Information Systems
07.2018
University Overview
Brigham Young UniversityProvo, UT
MBA from Operations Management & Information Systems
04-2012
University Overview
Brigham Young UniversityProvo, UT
Bachelor of Science from Computer Engineering
04-2002
University Overview
Skills
Natural Language Processing
Deep Learning
Data Visualization
Statistical Analysis & Modeling
Mentoring & Coaching
Research Project Management
R
Python
C/C
SQL
Tableau
Power BI
Volunteer Experience
Volunteer Experience
Bishop (Congregational Leader)
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints | Jan 2021 - Present
- Mentor youth in planning weekly activities and enhancing their life skills
- Plan and lead weekly meetings and manage several organizations
- Build and maintain an organizational vision
- Meet with and help individuals and families overcome personal and familial difficulties
Missionary
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints | 1996-1998 | Czech Republic and Slovakia
Languages
Czech
Limited Working
Slovak
Limited Working
Polish
Elementary
Interests
Backpacking
Reading
Woodworking
Timeline
Associate Professor of Data, Analytics and AI
Northern Illinois University
06.2018 - Current
Faculty Summer Data Analytics Intern
Sandia National Labs
05.2017 - 08.2017
Assistant Professor of AIS & Analytics
University of New Mexico
08.2012 - 05.2018
Programming Instructor (Contractor)
Raytheon Missile Systems
01.2009 - 01.2010
Research Associate
University of Arizona
08.2008 - 07.2012
Research Assistant
Brigham Young University
01.2007 - 04.2008
Project Manager
National Instruments
01.2005 - 06.2006
Software Engineer
National Instruments
01.2004 - 01.2005
The University of Arizona
Ph.D. from Management Information Systems
Brigham Young University
MBA from Operations Management & Information Systems
Brigham Young University
Bachelor of Science from Computer Engineering
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