Katrina Ward
About Katrina Ward
Katrina Ward is a Senior R&D Data Analytics professional at Sandia National Laboratories, specializing in big trajectory data analysis, natural language processing, and cybersecurity.
Current Role at Sandia National Laboratories
Katrina Ward holds the position of Senior R&D Data Analytics at Sandia National Laboratories. She has been with the organization since 2019, contributing her expertise in data analytics within the Albuquerque, New Mexico area. Her work involves leveraging big data to enhance predictive and recommendation algorithms, with a particular focus on the intersection of cybersecurity and critical infrastructure protection.
Previous Experience at Missouri S&T
Katrina Ward's previous experience includes multiple roles at Missouri University of Science and Technology (Missouri S&T). She worked as a Graduate Research Assistant from 2014 to 2019, and as an Undergraduate Research Assistant from 2013 to 2014. Her roles focused on computer science research, where she developed her skills in natural language processing, data analysis, and software engineering.
Education and Expertise
Katrina Ward achieved her Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) in Computer Science from Missouri University of Science and Technology, studying from 2014 to 2018. She also holds a Bachelor's Degree in Computer Science, obtained from the same institution between 2010 and 2014. Her academic focus has been on understanding unstructured human language through natural language processing and improving algorithms using big trajectory data analysis.
Early Career and Internships
In her early career, Katrina Ward gained valuable industry experience. She was a Software Engineering Intern at Brewer Science in 2013, where she spent 3 months honing her skills in software development. Additionally, she served as an Undergraduate Teaching Assistant at Missouri S&T from 2010 to 2014, accumulating four years of experience in academia.
Research Interests and Contributions
Katrina Ward's research focuses on improving prediction and recommendation algorithms through the analysis of big trajectory data. Her work is geared towards enhancing cybersecurity and protecting critical infrastructure, while ensuring user privacy. She specializes in natural language processing, which involves understanding and managing unstructured human language data.