Tempest van Schaik

"In my work as a Software Engineer, I demonstrate the ‘Explorer’ and ‘Developer’ types by coming up with ways to solve a variety of problems using artificial intelligence (AI) and data science. This suits me because I am inventive and creative. I love the fact that my job is never repetitive, and I'm always faced with new projects, new challenges, and new organisations to work with. I also have to be practical to find a solution that will work technically, will meet a customer's business needs and will create a positive impact in the world. I need to be patient and persistent too, because often there are no answers, and it takes a long time to make something work. This fits well with being the ‘Investigator’ type. I am constantly learning, which is very important to me."

"I am a Software Engineer, I helps businesses, government and researchers to use artificial intelligence and data science to solve their problems.I am part of a team of engineers! We analyse data and write the code that solves problems, for example helping a hospital predict how busy it will become so they can plan properly. There are lots of new advancements in artificial intelligence, so I am always trying out new technology. In a typical day, I am usually planning how to solve the next coding challenge, exploring data and researching what others have done. On days when I am doing a coding challenge, I’ll be at the offices of the organisation I am working with. I will have a meeting to check that everything is on track and I will then sit with engineers from the organisation while we write code together, figuring things out as we go.I find it really exciting to meet some of the smartest people in the world and be part of a community who are shaping the world with their ideas. I think watching people use something I have created is one of the best feelings in the world!In my job, I could travel every week if I wanted to, but then I’d never spend any time at home! I am part of a global team who work with organisations in almost every country, so there are projects everywhere from South Africa to Singapore."

"When I was a child, I was inspired by the gadgets used by characters like Batman! I took a long and winding route to her existing role because I am curious and loves to learn. I started with a degree in biomedical engineering, then did a second degree in electrical engineering, then a PhD in Bioengineering. Along the way I built robots, went inside a power plant, wore scrubs in surgery, held a human heart and handled cyanide in a lab, so it was a very colourful journey! I then worked in a few start-ups creating products for health and medicine, and learnt a bit about user experience and product development. I have always loved software engineering and data analysis though, and saw that the field of artificial intelligence was increasingly becoming an exciting area to work in. The starting salary for a Software Engineer is about £25,000."

"I enjoy DIY, craft and fixing and improving things. I loved home decor, so one of my favourite hobbies is rescuing old furniture and seeing if I can breathe new life into it. I also love fashion and making things. I used to make jewellery from found objects, some of which were featured in fashion magazines!Wherever I end up, I know I will be working to put technology to good use, for the benefit of society and the environment. I’ll also be working where engineering is creative, because that's where it has the most impact."

"I usually work on 1 or 2 projects at a time. I do research by reading journal articles, explore data and write code in Python or R. I check-in with others working on the project (usually 5 people) to see if our work is on track, help anybody who is stuck, and share my progress in solving the problem. "

"The subjects I took at school (in South Africa) were: Maths, Science, Biology, Art, English, Afrikaans. At university a studied a degree in Biomedical Engineering, another degree in Electrical Engineering, and then a PhD in Bioengineering. "