Open to opportunities

Usman Waheed

@usmanwaheed

Message

Principal Data Scientist building production ML and RAG systems for high-stakes, regulated decisions.

United States

Message

What I'm looking for

I’m seeking an Istanbul-based, international remote role where accuracy, auditability, and regulatory compliance matter. I want to build production ML and RAG/AI systems, automate analytics pipelines, and deliver defensible insights in high-stakes domains.

I’m a Principal Data Scientist with 10+ years deploying production machine learning systems in regulated, data-intensive environments. At UnitedHealth Group, I built and scaled health-outcome predictive models and multi-KPI prediction pipelines, deployed task-specific AI agents, and led development of RAG-based LLM frameworks currently in progress.

I focus on accuracy, auditability, and regulatory compliance—translating predictive modeling, risk stratification, and pipeline automation into practical outcomes. My background spans advanced analytics and engineering across Scikit-Learn/XGBoost, TensorFlow, Azure ML, Snowflake, and Tableau, with an emphasis on defensible, monitoring-driven decisioning.

Experience

Work history, roles, and key accomplishments

Current

Principal Data Scientist

Current

UnitedHealth Group

Jun 2025 - Present (1 year 1 month)

Leads risk assessment for affordability initiatives, setting risk thresholds and communicating findings to stakeholders. Developing and refining task-specific AI agents with Microsoft Copilot and architecting a RAG system to ground LLMs in proprietary knowledge.

Machine Learning predictive modeling Risk Assessment Risk Stratification AI Agents Retrieval Augmented Generation (RAG)LLM Microsoft Copilot EMR Integration SQL Stored Procedures

Senior Data Scientist

UnitedHealth Group

May 2022 - Jun 2025 (3 years 1 month)

Built a year-end prediction system for clinical and operational KPIs, including model selection for accuracy and auditability. Automated end-to-end prediction pipelines, deployed scikit-learn/XGBoost models to produce member risk scores, and supported model governance and regulatory specifications.

Time Series Modeling Regression Models TensorFlow scikit learn XGBoost Azure ML Tableau Dashboarding Model Validation Model Governance Specifications

Senior Data Engineer/Analyst

UnitedHealth Group

Sep 2015 - May 2022 (6 years 8 months)

Owned operational CMS Star measures and built/maintained data pipelines reflecting CMS technical specifications. Developed reporting assets in Tableau/Excel and created data engineering pipelines for monthly enrollment and demographic delivery with analysis across segmentation levels.

Data Engineering ETL Python VBA Microsoft SQL Server Apache Hive Data Pipelines CMS Star Ratings Reporting & Analytics Tableau Excel Data Validation Data Modeling

Project Manager

Associated Bank, Na

May 2015 - Aug 2015 (3 months)

Cross-functional implementation lead for enterprise-wide underwriting analysis, portfolio management, and a business intelligence software suite.

Underwriting Analysis Portfolio Management Business Intelligence

Special Projects Analyst

Associated Bank, Na

Jun 2011 - May 2015 (3 years 11 months)

Created VBA-based applications with GUIs to analyze extracted data and generate credit-decision reports, including requirements gathering and test-script documentation. Wrote Hyperion BI queries and built Excel models to support monitoring policy changes and risk profile analysis for a large loan portfolio.

VBA GUI’S Requirements Gathering Documentation Test Scripts SQL Queries Excel Modeling Credit Risk Analytics Data Visualization

Senior Credit Analyst & AVP

Associated Bank, Na

Nov 2005 - Mar 2010 (4 years 4 months)

Analyzed clients’ financials, evaluated performance drivers, and recommended deal structures balancing bank risk with client needs. Built an Excel macro-driven quarterly financial trend analysis model for bank-wide credit decisions and developed a multi-variable financial sensitivity analysis model for underwriting and variance analysis.

Credit Analysis Financial Analysis Deal Structuring Excel Modeling Excel Macros Trend Analysis Underwriting Support

Financial Analyst/Relationship Manager

Impact Seven

Nov 2003 - Oct 2005 (1 year 11 months)

Supported financial analysis and relationship management, including exceeding SBA approval volumes in 2004 and assisting with the deployment of New Market Tax Credits. Helped position Impact Seven among the top program participants and contributed to applications for subsequent funding rounds.

Small Business Administration (SBA) Approvals Financial Analysis Relationship Management

Education

Degrees, certifications, and relevant coursework

University of St. Thomas

Master of Science in Software Engineering and Data Sciences, Software Engineering and Data Sciences

Completed a graduate degree in Software Engineering and Data Sciences at the University of St. Thomas in 2017.

University of St. Thomas

Master of Business Administration, Finance

Grade: Graduated with Distinction; Beta Gamma Sigma; Merit Scholarship for International Management

Activities and societies: University lead student photographer; earned commendations from professional staff photographers and clients.

Earned an MBA with a concentration in Finance from the University of St. Thomas, graduating in December 2011.

Macalester College

Bachelor of Arts, Economics and Political Science

Grade: Omicron Delta Epsilon; DeWitt Wallace Scholarship

Activities and societies: Founding member and Treasurer, Macalester Association for South Asian Ethnic and Cultural Awareness; founding member and Demonstration Team member, Macalester Asian Martial Arts Association; Junior Varsity Soccer/Crew Team; Bronze medal in the Mixed-Four at the Iowa Regatta.

Completed a Bachelor of Arts in Economics and Political Science at Macalester College, graduating in 2001.