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Saba Zehra Syed

@sabazehrasyed

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Research-oriented data scientist with expertise in AI, ML, visualization, and cross-functional leadership.

United Kingdom

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What I'm looking for

I am seeking data science roles where I can build production ML/AI systems, lead cross-functional teams, drive research-to-product impact, and work in mission-driven, collaborative environments.

I am a research-oriented data science professional with international experience across the United Kingdom and India, holding an MSc in Data Science & Analytics with Advanced Research. My work blends machine learning, deep learning, and applied AI—particularly large language models and retrieval-augmented approaches—to deliver high-impact solutions in healthcare, education, and tech.

I have designed and deployed production ML systems, including CNNs for plant disease detection (98%+ accuracy), ML APIs, and geospatial analyses to support public health insights. I combine strong technical skills (Python, R, SQL, AWS, Docker) with hands-on product and project delivery experience, contributing measurable operational improvements and data-driven strategy.

As a leader and collaborator, I have managed cross-functional teams, driven diversity and inclusion initiatives, mentored hundreds of team members and student representatives, and overseen program delivery and stakeholder communications. I seek opportunities where I can apply rigorous research, end-to-end ML engineering, and people-oriented leadership to solve meaningful problems.

Experience

Work history, roles, and key accomplishments

Manager

McDonald's

Dec 2022 - Feb 2025 (2 years 2 months)

Led multi-functional teams during high-volume shifts, improved service efficiency and reduced operational waste by 15% through optimized scheduling and inventory controls, and onboarded and mentored over 500 team members.

Team Leadership Operations Management Scheduling Inventory Control Cash Handling Recruitment Training Diversity & Inclusion

School Community Officer

University of Hertfordshire

Sep 2023 - Sep 2024 (1 year)

Led student representation and collaborated on university-wide policy and the Annual Action Plan, recruiting and mentoring over 500 student representatives and driving community engagement initiatives.

Student Engagement Leadership Event Planning Policy Advocacy Mentorship

Programme Manager

Belonging Pioneers

Feb 2024 - May 2024 (3 months)

Oversaw the 'Balancing The Scales 2024' project, aligning diversity and inclusion strategies with measurable impact indicators and using analytics-driven dashboards to inform stakeholder decisions.

Content Strategy Marketing Analytics Research Data Cleaning Dashboarding Stakeholder Management

Java Intern

Wipro

Mar 2022 - May 2022 (2 months)

Contributed to end-to-end development of Java applications, performed testing and debugging, and authored technical design documentation in collaboration with senior developers.

Java Software Testing Debugging Technical Documentation Software Development Code Review Collaboration

Data Science Intern

Innomatics Research Labs

Oct 2021 - Jan 2022 (3 months)

Designed and trained CNN models achieving >98% accuracy for plant disease detection, developed ML APIs for deployment, and conducted EDA and geospatial analysis on public health datasets.

Deep Learning CNN API Development Geospatial analysis Python Data Visualization

Java and GIS Intern

Infokites Pvt Ltd

Mar 2020 - Jun 2021 (1 year 3 months)

Developed MERN-stack web applications integrated with GIS visualization, maintained CI/CD pipelines to accelerate deployments, and provided technical support resolving client issues.

MERN Stack GIS CI CD DevOps Technical Support MongoDB REST APIs

Education

Degrees, certifications, and relevant coursework

University of Hertfordshire

Master of Science, Data Science & Analytics

Completed an MSc in Data Science & Analytics with Advanced Research; thesis compared retrieval-augmented and instruction-tuned language models for AI-driven healthcare.