Data Science Projects

I would like to showcase a few of the many data science projects that I have worked on here. I can’t really share many details on what I worked on at several software startups here publically, but happy to describe some details in interviews.

The Presumptuous P-value

When conducting research, many people want to know if all of the hard work they put in and data that they collected can answer their research question or hypothesis. There is a process known as hypothesis testing, which uses sample data to make inferences about the population from which the sample was taken, to determine if there is any effect being observed in the data, or if the observed difference is due to random chance. Thus, in order to quantify the statistical significance of a researcher’s findings, it has become common practice, although recently a more controversial one, to determine the reliability of an experiment by using a calculated probability known as the p-value. In order to demonstrate this concept, let’s consider an example;

Nutrition

What is healthy nutrition?

Glad you asked. It depends on many factors, but here are some general guidelines I follow. -“Eat food, not too much, mostly plants.” - Michael Pollan

  • Plant-based whole foods are full of vitamins (enzyme cofactors) that can keep your cells pumping ATP and giving you energy to think, breathe, and move. While glucose is your cells’ favourite form of energy, the food we eat contains many different variations of glucose, known as carbohydrates as well as other macronutrients such as proteins and fats. Stabilizing blood sugar levels with healthy polyunsaturated plant-based fats and essential amino acids found in proteins as well as complex carbs can help maintain energy levels throughout the day and avoid junk food binges or cravings. After a few months of eating clean plant-based foods, your taste buds will adapt, and you will no longer crave those salty and sweet snacks that don’t add much to your health.

LRRK-2 gene in Parkinson's Disease research paper

I would like to share a literature review on a protein involved in Parkinson’s Disease that I wrote while working as a directed study student in Cathy Rankin’s lab at the UBC Center for Brain Health.