Would you like to know when and where the next political conflict will arise? It's not easy to predict such events, but not impossible either.
Meet Workland Maakri member Andreas, a.k.a. Andy, who does just that by developing and assessing statistical and machine learning models. He’s not just a data scientist who develops systems to forecast political instability and conflict. He’s also a really interesting and fun guy with a great personality. Andy, who’s originally from Germany, moved to Tallinn from Florida 6 years ago, when he met his current wife (Estonian) while studying at the same university.
You are working in a fascinating field; how does your day-to-day work look like?
I work remotely for a U.S. consulting company, Predictive Heuristics. My role as a Data Scientist is to develop and implement quantitative forecasting systems for different forms of political instability. For example, predicting which countries are at higher risk for coups, rebellions, and mass protests that result in leader changes. My day-to-day work involves a lot of data munging, statistics, and some machine learning. I did a very similar job as a political science postdoc at Duke University, which is how I ended up in this field. Most of our work today is for government research agencies or NGO clients.
How did you get to Workland and why did you choose the Maakri centre in particular?
Workland is now the major coworking space brand in Estonia (and in the Baltics). I realized that Workland Maakri is located very close to where I live. I mean, it’s hard to beat the central location – after work, I can walk next door to get groceries and do the shopping, pick up my kids from kindergarten, and walk home, all without having to touch a car or use public transport. I also like that there are many lunch options close by. Plus, there’s no ping pong table :)
What would be three words that would best describe your experience at Workland?
Professional, quiet, excellent central location
What kind of companies or entrepreneurs would you encourage to join Workland?
Small businesses, freelancers, and professionals who need a desk or small office away from home, to get work done. Unlike some of the other coworking spaces in Tallinn, Workland is not purely focused on the startup eco-system; so I see Workland as a suitable office space also for more traditional or established companies.
