Women make up 15% to 22% of data science professionals, research from the Boston Consulting Group shows. One of the women who is hoping to increase that number is Chisoo Lyons, the executive director of Women in Data Science Worldwide (WiDS) and a BigDATAwire 2024 Person to Watch.
WiDS started in 2015 with a one-day technical conference at Stanford University to give women a voice in data science. Since then, the group has expanded significantly, and it now touches more than 150,000 participants across 160 countries via conferences, datathons, podcasts, upskilling workshops, its Next Gen outreach program, the WiDS Academy, and the UpLink platform.
The group’s goal is achieve 30% representation for women in data science by 2030, which it refers to as its 30×30 cause. Leading the group to that goal is the job of WiDS Executive Director Lyons, who recently spent time to answer some questions.
BigDATAwire: You recently took over as Executive Director of WiDS Worldwide. What attracted you to the position?
Chisoo Lyons: Women in Data Science Worldwide (WiDS) is a pioneer in the advancement of diversity, equity, and inclusion for women in technical fields. Data science and AI are shaping the world we live in today, and as having been in many leadership roles in data science , I know that diversity of perspectives including gender is critical to outcomes. That means women being included and represented in decision making and opportunities to gain their share of the economic benefit in those outcomes. Our ambitious mission to achieve substantial women’s representation at every level of the field is personal to me.
BDW: How would you characterize the progress that women have made in data science over the past decade? What more needs to be done?
CL: At an aggregate level, women and society have made and are continuing to make progress. Some studies report that women represent up to a quarter or more of data science practitioners in some industries and geographies. However, once you examine more closely, we see very little progress in segments of the population, such as the intersection of underserved communities and women. This is also the case when homing in on leadership positions in which diversity in thought process and experience is key in making decisions and directing the course for the initiatives, organizations, and communities.
BDW: Outside of the professional sphere, what can you share about yourself that your colleagues might be surprised to learn – any unique hobbies or stories?
CL: I lived a good part of my childhood outside of the US. This seeded my curiosity about different cultures through traveling on holidays and through cooking (and eating) different types of cuisine. I love sharing the experience with family and friends, taking long hikes, and hanging out with my 2 miniature dachshunds.
You can read the rest of the interviews with the 2024 BigDATAwire People to Watch here.
