Amanda LaForest

Arvada, CO · (269) 953-3057 · amalaforest@gmail.com

Hi 👋 my name is Amanda and I'm a senior data scientist at Daybreak LLC. Within the field of data science, I'm most passionate about machine learning, big data, data visualization, and data storytelling. Nice to meet you!


Experience

Senior Data Scientist

Daybreak LLC • FDA

Synthesize eCommerce data to identify vulnerabilities threatening supply chain resiliency in the U.S. healthcare system. Create and tune machine learning models to augment existing fraud prevention architectures, perform anomaly detection, and identify key areas for data quality improvement.

June 2022 - Present

Data Scientist

Daybreak LLC • FDA

Solved problems using data science in the national security, public health and public safety sectors of government.

July 2021 - June 2022

Course Grader

UVA School of Data Science

Graded and mentored students in Practice & Applications of Data Science in Python at UVA.

June 2021 - Aug 2021

Data Visualization Consultant

Clark Data Labs

Consulted on interactive data visualization, UI/UX design, website creation, and geospatial visualization.

Oct 2019 - April 2020

Research Assistant

University of Michigan Economics Department

Performed data cleaning, entry, and tabulation in Excel, R, and Stata for economists.

Oct 2017 - Dec 2019

Education

University of Virginia

Masters of Science in Data Science

GPA: 3.97
Student Class President
Coursework: Bayesian Machine Learning, Big Data Analytics, Data Visualization, Deep Learning, Data Mining, Data Ethics

July 2020 - May 2021

University of Michigan

Bachelor of Science in Economics (High Honors)

Minor in Mathematics
Coursework: Intermediate Econometrics I & II, Linear Algebra, Calculus I-IV, Probability, Public Finance

Sept 2016 - May 2020

Beijing Language and Culture University

Intensive Mandarin Study
Department of State Benjamin A. Gilman Scholar
Sept 2018 - Dec 2018

Skills

Programming Languages & Tools
Projects
  • Data Schema to Formalize Education R&D Using Natural-Language Processing
  • Predicting Chronic Wasting Disease in White-Tailed Deer using Neural Networks
  • Understanding Racial Disparity In The Virginia Court System
  • Wine Recommender Algorithm Using Text Analytics
  • How Has the TRIPS Agreement Affected Intellectual Property Adherence?

Interests

Apart from being a data scientist, I like to enjoy all Colorado has to offer in the great outdoors. In the winter, I am an avid skier and powerlifter. During the warmer months, I enjoy hiking, camping, and sipping coffee in the crisp morning air. I try to absorb a new book or two a month and in turn my favorite topics to write about are data science and travel.


Achievements

  • Presenter, Mapping the Flow of Products Through the E-Commerce Supply Chain, INFORMS Business Analytics Conference 2023
  • Panelist, Women in Data Science Charlottesville 2022
  • Coauthor, Data Schema to Formalize Education Research & Development Using Natural Language Processing, published in IEEE 2021
  • Class President, UVA School of Data Science Residential Student Council
  • 2nd Place, University of Chicago Econometrics Competition 2019
  • Recipient, Department of State Benjamin A. Gilman Scholar 2018
  • 1st Place, Collegiate National Taekwondo Championships 2017, 2018, 2019
  • All-American and Scholastic All-American, Collegiate National Taekwondo Association 2019
  • 1st Place, Inaugural World University Games held in Muju, South Korea 2018