David Watkins
About David Watkins
David Watkins is a Data Scientist at the U.S. Geological Survey since 2016, where he has developed a central analytics dashboard and taught R training courses. He holds a Master's degree in Geophysics from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and has experience in data processing and machine learning applications in environmental science.
Work at U.S. Geological Survey
David Watkins has served as a Data Scientist at the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) since 2016. In this role, he has led the development of a centralized analytics dashboard aimed at assisting management and product owners. He has also architected operational data pipelines, which facilitate the processing of multi-terabyte datasets, making them accessible for scientific use. Additionally, Watkins has worked on improving lake water temperature predictions by over 40% through the integration of physics-based models and machine learning techniques. He has also consulted on automating water data processing methods, enhancing the efficiency of existing workflows.
Education and Expertise
Watkins holds a Bachelor of Science (B.S.) in Geology with a minor in Mathematics from Indiana University of Pennsylvania, where he studied from 2010 to 2014. He furthered his education by obtaining a Master of Science (M.S.) in Geophysics from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, completing his studies in 2016. His academic background provides a strong foundation for his work in data science, particularly in the fields of geology and geophysics.
Professional Experience
Before joining the USGS, David Watkins gained valuable experience as a Research Assistant at the University of Wisconsin-Madison from 2014 to 2016. He also completed internships at the University of Minnesota in 2012 and at the Incorporated Research Institutions for Seismology in 2013. These roles contributed to his development in data analysis and research methodologies, preparing him for his current position in data science.
Training and Instruction
Watkins has demonstrated his commitment to education by teaching ten multi-day R training courses for field offices. His training sessions received excellent evaluations, indicating a positive impact on participants' understanding of R programming and data analysis techniques. This experience highlights his ability to convey complex information effectively.
Technical Contributions
David Watkins has co-authored two R packages that have collectively garnered over 50,000 downloads from CRAN. His technical contributions extend to parallelizing R workflows on supercomputing systems, which enhances computational efficiency. These efforts reflect his expertise in data science and programming within the context of environmental research.