From PhD to Data Scientist in Public Sector Analytics
Ren Lopez, a Data Scientist at the Chicago Police Department, shares how she went from a PhD in Materials Science & Engineering to working with complex, real-world data in the public sector.
👔 The Job 👔
As a Data Scientist at the Chicago Police Department in Chicago, Illinois, Ren works with a wide range of datasets to support analysis and decision-making.
In this role, she:
Collects, cleans, and analyzes large and varied datasets
Applies statistical tools and models to uncover patterns and insights
Works with data that span many domains and real-world contexts
Best part of the job:
The variety of data. Every project is different, which keeps the work intellectually engaging and constantly evolving.
🛣️ The Path 🛣️
Ren’s transition out of academia was direct. She found her current role through Indeed, a reminder that traditional job boards can work for PhDs.
Key steps in her career journey:
PhD Graduate ➡️ Data Scientist
🧠 The Decision 🧠
For Ren, leaving academia was an easy decision.
Academia often felt exclusive and unwelcoming, and she didn’t see herself thriving long-term in that environment. Importantly, her PhD advisor was incredibly supportive — regularly sending her data science job postings and even sharing one she heard mentioned on the radio during her morning commute!
That encouragement made the transition feel possible.
💡 The Advice 💡
Almost everything in a PhD is transferable.
Especially soft skills — but interviewers unfamiliar with PhDs need you to spell that out.Ren highlights skills PhDs often underestimate:
Communicating results clearly (papers, posters, presentations)
Working across levels of authority (PIs, postdocs, peers)
Identifying domain experts when your own expertise has limits (experimentalists, computationalists)
Treat interviews as practice.
Ren approached each interview as preparation for the next one — which took the pressure off and improved her performance over time.Build experience beyond your dissertation.
Working as a data science consultant during grad school and volunteering with a prison education program both helped Ren pivot into a non-STEM data science role.
🔑 The Takeaway 🔑
Ren’s story is a powerful reminder that leaving academia is sometimes purely about finding an environment where you’re supported and valued.
With the right framing, confidence, and a bit of experimentation, PhDs can translate their skills into impactful roles in places they may never have originally imagined.
P.S. Thanks for being here :)
Nice read! 👍