I'm Visakh Madathil
Name: Visakh Madathil
Email: madathilvisakh [at] gmail [dot] com
Areas of Interest: Data Mining, AI Ethics, Health Economics & Policy, Labor Economics, Statistical Learning, Intelligent System Design
Programming Languages and Frameworks: Python, R, STATA, C/C++, HTML/CSS, JavaScript, TensorFlow, Scikit-learn, Bootstrap, Flask, Angular, Google Cloud Platform, Amazon Web Services
Favorite Sports Teams: Dallas Mavericks, Tottenham Hotspur, Dallas Cowboys, Royal Challengers Bangalore
About me
I am a fourth year economics undergraduate student and Highland Capital Management Tower Scholar at Southern Methodist University. I'm particularly interested in building intelligent data-driven systems to solve inefficiencies and inequities. I enjoy building and exploring systems that gather, analyze, and act upon data and human intutition. I also study algorithmic bias and the ethical implications of these systems. My ultimate aim is to use technology and an understanding of society to help build a more equitable world.
Previously, I was a Data Scientist at a financial and economic consulting company where I investigated cryptocurrency fraud and market manipulation. I served as a Data Science Fellow at the US Department of Health and Human as a Civic Digital Fellow and worked at early stage startups and political campaigns.
In my other time, I enjoy reading about history, foreign affairs, and music. I can also be found listening to R&B, drinking tea, or watching sports.
Work & Activities
Presentations
Migration and Mobility in an Age of Pandemic - Moderated at SMU Tower Center for Public Policy & International Affairs
Games and Power: The Role Sports Play in Geopolitics - Given at Get Smart
Introduction to Data Science Workshop - Given at SMU Hacks 2019
The Financial Crisis and Policy Responses - Given at SMU Tower Center for Public Policy & International Affairs
An Introduction to Blockchain & Smart Contracts - Given at the Office of the CTO, US Department of Health & Human Services
An Introduction to AI & Ethics - Given at the Office of the CTO, US Department of Health & Human Services
Service & Leadership
Executive Director - Tower Center Student Forum (2017 - 2019)
Editor in Chief - Dialogue & Open Forum (2017 - 2019)
Where I've Failed
I want failure to be more widely celebrated. I truly believe that hiding failures and only highlighting success contributes to imposter syndrome and lower self-confidence. I hope that sharing my failures will help reduce some of the stigma around failing. It's okay to fail.
Clear Price - We tried to build an intelligent billing software to sell to small, physician-owned clinics. We severly underestimated the difficulty it takes to create, maintain, and sell digital health tools. Fundamentally, I was ill-prepared to develop a product in the health IT space.
Open Forum - I began a campus wide newsletter that covered topics on politics, public policy, and economics. Although our first year was successful, we started falling apart in the second year. This was due to 1) my micromanagement of my team, 2) my lack of a realistic succession plan for the second year, and 3) all members, including myself, becoming increasingly occupied with other projects and schoolwork.