We are confident that Marissa’s creativity, curiosity, and drive to continuously learn will make her a true asset as she collaborates with our Data Science team to deliver innovative solutions for our clients.

Here’s what Marissa had to say when we sat down with her for our Q & A session.

Hello and welcome Marissa to the Firemind team! It’s great to have you with us. For our viewers, could you please tell us a little about yourself and your professional background?

Hello! I am super excited to be here. So, a brief introduction, I am originally from a small town in Wisconsin called Wales (which has the Welsh flag and everything), but I have been living in London for close to two years. Prior to moving to London, I worked as a Project Manager in Madison, WI. What brought me to the UK was my master’s degree, where I studied Data Science and AI. For my thesis, I built a genAI model that accurately predicts what exoplanets look like, which was incredibly fun to work on. Post-graduation, I began working in research, primarily with Large Language Models (LLMs), and business analytics, and now I’m here at Firemind, and I’m looking forward to getting started!

How did you find out about us and what made you decide to apply for a role with Firemind?

I found out about Firemind from a past employer, actually, who couldn’t say enough amazing things about the company. After looking into the projects and seeing some of the work Firemind was doing, I knew I wanted to be a part of it. This was only furthered by meeting some of the team members and realising how nice they all are. It just felt like a great fit!

What is your role at Firemind?

I’m joining the Data Science team, as a Data Scientist and will get to be a part of some exciting projects. My first few months will be more research heavy exploring LLMs and future Firemind offerings in that space, then a lot more to come!

Which areas of our business interested you the most?

There are so many aspects of Firemind that I find interesting and exciting. What really drew me in was the diversity of projects, the cleverness of the solutions to client problems, and the website design. I’m particularly interested in the integration of AWS in Firemind’s client offerings. There’s so much that can be done with the cloud, and I think it will be a lot of fun to explore that.

What will be your main goals/objectives whilst working at Firemind?

My current goals are to research and execute projects, meet new people and engage with the FMops community, obtain my AWS certifications, and contribute to Firemind’s excellence. I hope my goals will evolve and adapt as I continue to achieve them.

Which aspects of your role are you most excited about?

I am really excited about my first project. Coming from research, it’s an exciting opportunity to apply my research experience to develop concepts and explore new ideas to solve real-world problems. I really like the curiosity and creativity associated with this type of problem-solving.

What do you hope to achieve within your first 12 months here?

Truthfully, I’d like to be a sponge. I want to learn and absorb as much as I can, during my first year. I recognise I’m relatively new in my career, so I’d love to take this as a chance to ask questions, learn a lot, further my experience with AWS, and contribute to some amazing projects.

Outside of work, what do you get up to? Tell us about your hobbies.

I like to keep busy with all sorts of things. I love traveling and going to museums and shows, whether that’s the theatre, a symphony, or concert. I also love being outside and being active. I’m currently training for my second half-marathon. Oh, and I also love to bake. I would say anything new that I can learn, I’m in.

What’s your favourite song on your playlist right now?

How could I ever choose! At the moment, I would say Slow Sipper by The Dip, but I recently saw The Book of Mormon and that opening song has been on repeat in my head ever since.

Any fun nicknames we should know about? If Yes, what’s the backstory?

My family calls me ‘Missy.’ I never thought about where that came from until now! I know it came from my dad and blossomed from there, but besides that, it has always been Marissa.

If you could only choose one dish to eat every meal for the rest of your life, what would it be?

I love food, but my tastes tend to shift quite frequently. At the moment, I’m really enjoying Dim Sum and have been having it almost every night for the past few weeks. Ask me again in a few months, and it could be something completely different!

What is at the top of your bucket list?

Without hesitation, visiting Antarctica is at the top of my bucket list. It looks incredibly beautiful, and the fact that so few people have been there is exciting. I feel like there’s so much to explore, and I also love the snow, so a place that’s only snow sounds wonderful.

What is one skill you would really love to learn?

I have always wanted to learn how to fly a plane. My Uncle is a pilot and took me up in the sky once when I was 17, and I have been hooked ever since.

How do you wind down after work?

To me, there is nothing more relaxing than a walk or spending time outdoors to wind down after work. If the weather is poor, I like listening to the rain while reading or crocheting, perhaps whilst a movie or show is playing as well.

We’re growing at a rapid pace and are constantly looking for talented individuals to come and join our team.

Visit our Careers page for further details about the Firemind culture and new opportunities.