Keynote Address | 2024: Computational Advertising and Data Science

Jialiang Mao, Staff Data Scientist - LinkedIn Over the past few decades, the technology industry has been instrumental in shaping the field of data science, acting as a catalyst for new ideas and innovations. Positioned at the intersection of AI, engineering, product management, and FP&A, data science occupies a crucial—yet sometimes ambiguous—role in today‘s tech landscape. In this presentation, I’ll use the journey of LinkedIn’s Ads Data Science team as a case study to explore how the role and expectations of data scientists have evolved to better align with business needs. I’ll also discuss the key distinctions between excelling in applied industry settings versus traditional statistical training, and share learnings on preparing for a successful career in this dynamic field.