International Women's Day: Interview with our Director of Data Science Education, Teresa Ironside, MBA

International Women’s Day celebrates the social, economic, cultural, and political accomplishments of women worldwide. This International Women's Day, we spoke to our Director of Data Science Education, Teresa Ironside, about her role at the Bayes Centre and what International Women's Day means to her. 

Can you tell me a bit about your role at the Bayes Centre?

Within my role as Director of Data Science Education, I am responsible for the Education remit within the Bayes Centre from a strategic management perspective, with a focus on Talent development within the Data Driven Innovation (DDI) programme. I lead on collaborative data science training and DDI initiatives within the College of Science and Engineering, working across the University and with affiliated partners. I sit on a number of steering committees and contribute to initiatives across the University related to student administration management and student experience.

I oversee the current interdisciplinary online learning suite of programmes in Data Science, Technology and Innovation (DSTI) and Data Skills Workforce Development, both growing portfolios of courses contributed from all three Colleges across the University in the sciences, humanities and medicine, working collaboratively with DDI Hubs. They give working professionals the opportunity to study and upskill while they work or provide opportunities for those who are unemployed and looking to reskill. These range from short courses, to a postgraduate certificate, diploma, and masters level degrees.   

I also lead on the cross-DDI Data Science Education Centre of Excellence, which aims to provide a focal point for current and planned data science education and training across the University and to gain a better understanding of existing content, regulatory, software, process limitations and planned growth in order to help quickly leverage opportunities as the University of Edinburgh develops data science activities.

Is there anyone that inspires you in your career?

Helping others has always been a big driver within my career. I enjoy making a difference and found I could do this while in early administrative roles supporting senior colleagues and then students as I moved into student administration management. Now that I am in a senior position, I can help build programmes to give students and working professionals opportunities to upskill in data which is such a fast growing and emerging area.

I really enjoy coaching and mentorship within my roles and building and managing teams. We have a fantastic team within Bayes Education and the wider Bayes team who are really dedicated and fantastic to work with.

Who are your female icons and why?

I find Michelle Obama fascinating. She stays true to her beliefs and is really grounded in all the work she takes on. I find her to be really inspirational and love to hear her speak.

What does International Women’s Day mean to you?

I love to hear stories of strong women making a difference and find this really inspiring. International Women’s Day really brings these to the forefront and I hope one day we won’t need a specific day to recognise all the accomplishments of women and girls around the world but for now I will celebrate them!