#FellowFriday: Maia Materman

Maia Materman
National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences (NCATS)

This fall, I am working in NCATS to develop a strategy for the center’s data science efforts. I will landscape and understand all of the current data science initiatives, then visualize them in order to identify challenges, opportunities and gaps in research or technologies. After that, I will hold strategizing sessions with NCATS staff to develop a vision and roadmap for the direction of NCATS’ future data science efforts.

Taking advantage of the unique learning and experiences.

I hope to get a better understanding of agile strategic management (and product management in general) and what that looks like in practice. I also think that this is a fascinating time to be working in government, specifically at the NIH, so I hope to take advantage of the unique learning and experiences that come along with that. Above everything else, I just hope to learn all sorts of new things and gain new experiences.

Never been done at NCATS before.

This project is exciting because it feels really impactful and this sort of thing has never been done at NCATS before. It’s a little bit crazy to be starting entirely from scratch, but I also love the freedom that I get to be creative and think outside of the box (not to mention learn a ton!). I’m really looking forward to meeting super interesting people while conducting the interviews and facilitating the sessions.