Data Experts to Present at Culverhouse Business Analytics Symposium

Data scientists and business analytics-oriented executives converge on The University of Alabama campus for a day of discussion about how their respective companies and institutions incorporate big data research and analysis.

Rob King, a senior vice president at ESPN responsible for newsgathering operations; Dr. Brian Gurbaxani, a computational biologist at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; Jonathan Owen, director of operations research at GM; and Kamelia Aryafar, Overstock.com’s vice president of data science, are among the speakers scheduled for the 2018 Business Analytics Symposium, hosted by the Culverhouse College of Business and its Institute of Business Analytics.

Registration and details about the conference are available at culverhouse.ua.edu/basymposium.

Dr. Jason Parton, director of the Institute of Business Analytics, said, “The speakers for this year’s symposium are all major influencers in the rapidly evolving field of business analytics.” He added, “Attendees should expect a deep dive into applications of advanced data analysis techniques, as well as the opportunity to meet potential collaborators from across and outside campus.”

The symposium takes place Thursday, Oct. 4, at 8 a.m. at the Bryant Conference Center. Members of the public and all UA faculty and students interested in the use of data analytics in business and research are highly encouraged to attend.

“Business analytics touches nearly all fields,” said Dr. James Cochran, associate dean for research at Culverhouse. “Faculty and students in programs outside the business college may find that attending this symposium provides extraordinary benefits in discovering ways of implementing advanced data research practices in their own academic and professional work.”

The all-day event explores the diverse landscape of business analytics with topics ranging from the use of operational research in a corporate setting, institutional use of data analytics, analysis of social media content, change management in a data-driven culture, the use of machine learning and artificial intelligence techniques in e-commerce, and applications of analytics in public health.

The $150 early bird registration deadline for members of the public is Monday, Sept. 3; afterward, the price increases to $200. Registration for UA students is free and $40 for non-Culverhouse faculty.

The Institute of Business Analytics is a collaborative resource for both the Culverhouse College of Business and universitywide research activities. Its interdisciplinary team seeks to develop and cultivate analytics expertise through evidence-based research via communicating applied research discoveries and approaches with analytically focused students and various corporate and government partners with underutilized data.