The UBC Master of Data Science programs partner computer science and statistics experts, providing the foundation for a comprehensive approach, as these two disciplines are at the very core of the emerging field of Data Science. Through active and flexible learning techniques, students will be given the opportunity to put theory into practice and to work with real-world data.
Students learn from faculty working at the forefront of their fields. Internationally respected, these leading researchers collaborate with industries, governments and organizations to develop innovative solutions and make a tangible difference to our world. These thought leaders are passionate about their work, committed to student education and eager to share their knowledge.
Meet Some of Our Faculty and Staff
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Angela Pau
Career Advisor, MDS Vancouver
“The continued growth of Data Science jobs across many different industries and the ability to impact business, community and societal decisions makes this a really exciting field of work to be in.”
Angela Pau is an advisor and educator with over 15 years of experience supporting individuals to reach their career goals. She has a Bachelor of Arts from Simon Fraser University and has experience working in both the public and non-profit sector. At UBC she has developed career programming for both undergraduate and graduate students across a multitude of faculties and departments. She also has experience collaborating with campus partners to develop and implement career development strategies for international students and mentoring programs. Since joining MDS, Angela is excited to be making so many new connections to employers, MDS alumni and students who are passionate about Data Science.
Sonya Thomlinson
Career Advisor, MDS Okanagan and Computational Linguistics
“Data Science is a vast and exciting field with the potential to create enormous impact across all sectors and industries. I’m thrilled to be part of one of the highest rated Data Science Professional Programs in Canada."
Sonya Thomlinson has been an entrepreneur for over 20 years as a founder of multiple businesses as well as a US non-profit. Sonya has been building relationships and working with individuals to help them attain their career goals in the MDS program at UBC Okanagan and CL in Vancouver. Since joining UBC in 2022, Sonya has enjoyed the energy and excitement on campus and is passionate about helping students prepare for their future careers, discover their own areas of passion, and ensure that they have the tools to succeed to their fullest potential.
Ben Chen
Course Coordinator, MDS Vancouver
"Becoming an MDS is like getting a superhero cape for your career—only instead of saving the world, you’re saving data from chaos!"
Ben joined the MDS program in July 2024 as a course coordinator. Born in Taiwan and primarily raised in Shanghai, he completed his undergraduate studies in Hong Kong before earning his Master’s degree at the UBC MDS program. In his spare time, Ben enjoys staying active through swimming, running, and playing basketball. On more relaxed days, he indulges in his passion for anime while lounging in bed.
“I am excited to get to be a part of the MDS Okanagan program as the Professional Program Assistant and to support the students with their journey in this program.”
Jessica Collins received her Bachelor of Commerce from the UBC Vancouver Sauder School of Business and has since spent time working for the Province of BC and several small communities. She has worked on the UBC Okanagan campus since 2021 in various administrative roles supporting students and faculty members. Through these experiences, she has gained experience in working with diverse groups of people, providing support for them to reach their goals and navigating the post-secondary environment.
Vanessa Ho
Marketing Coordinator, MDS Program
"I am always amazed and blown away with all the students who pass through the MDS program. They all come from diverse backgrounds who learn from each other as they go through this intensive 10-month program on their path to a new career in data science."
Vanessa Ho obtained her Bachelor's of Journalism degree from the University of Regina and worked for four years as a technology journalist in Toronto. Vanessa moved back to Vancouver in 2008 and transitioned into a career as a digital content creator for a variety of technology companies in the Vancouver area. She started at the MDS program in 2018 as the marketing coordinator chronicling the MDS student journey. Outside of MDS, Vanessa is a pop culture enthusiast and enjoys biking and baking.
“With the vast amount of data in the world, learning about the creative ways in which students use data to make meaningful insights is inspiring.”
Hema Ratnasami completed her Bachelor of Science in Biochemistry & Molecular Biology at the University of Northern British Columbia in Prince George. After which she returned to the Lower Mainland to work in Human Resources at a local aerospace company. She has been an administrative staff member at UBC since 2020 starting with Financial Operations before moving onto the School of Biomedical Engineering. In all her roles, she has gained valuable experience using data to support operational needs. As the Senior Graduate Program Assistant for MDS, she hopes to support students as they make their way through the program.
Zac Warham
Course Coordinator, MDS Vancouver
"I love how data science skills are used to show the breadth of knowledge in all fields, particularly for marine biology in my case. The more visuals the better!"
Zac move to Canada from Australia in August of 2021 and joined the MDS team in January 2022 as a TA whilst studying his Masters of Science in Oceans and Fisheries at UBC. Prior to his time at UBC, Zac worked as an IT Support Assistant and an Aquarium Aquarist whilst he studied a combination of Marine Biology & Web Development. Zac looks forward to being a part of the learning journey for the next generation of data scientists.
Joel Östblom (On Leave)
Assistant Professor of Teaching, MDS Vancouver
"In addition to the core statistics and machine learning courses, MDS emphasizes the importance of data ethics, reproducibility, and open collaboration, which are crucial skills for a successful, sustainable data science career. Together with the diversity of educational backgrounds among students and instructors, this makes MDS an exciting place to both learn and teach!"
During his PhD, Joel developed a passion for data science and reproducibility through the development of quantitative image analysis pipelines for studying stem cell and developmental biology. He has since co-created or lead the development of several courses and workshops at the University of Toronto and the University of British Columbia. Joel cares deeply about spreading data literacy and excitement over programmatic data analysis, which is reflected in his contributions to open source projects and data science learning resources. Learn more about Joel.
Tiffany Timbers (On Leave)
Associate Professor of Teaching, MDS Vancouver
"We teach cutting-edge tools and techniques that are used by data scientists out in the wild."
Tiffany Timbers received her Bachelor of Science in Biology from Carleton University in 2001, following which she completed a doctorate in neuroscience at the University of British Columbia in 2012, which focused on the genetic basis of learning and memory. After obtaining her doctorate, Tiffany carried out data-intensive postdoctoral research in behavioural and neural genomics at Simon Fraser University (published in PLoS Genetics). During this time, she also gained valuable experience teaching computational skills to students and scientists through her work with Data and Software Carpentry, the SFU scientific programming study group, and teaching a course in computation in Physical Sciences at Quest University. Tiffany began her teaching role in the MDS program at UBC in the summer of 2016.
