Cathy O'Neil

Cathy O’Neil is a renowned mathematician, researcher, and author, with an impressive background in the world of data science. Her New York Times bestselling book, Weapons of Math Destruction: How Big Data Increases Inequality and Threatens Democracy, is an eye-opening examination of the power and potential dangers of data-driven algorithms.

Educated at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and Barnard College, O’Neil has a B.S. in mathematics and a PhD in math from Harvard University. Her research focuses on machine learning, artificial intelligence, and the use of data in predictive analytics. She’s an active speaker, having been featured at events such as SXSW, Humans 1.0, and TEDx, as well as by many major news outlets.

O’Neil built a career in quantitative analysis, earning a job in the financial industry after leaving academia in 2002. She worked as a risk analyst, first at investment bank D.E. Shaw, then hedge fund Aubrey Capital, and ultimately hedge fund T.E. Sloan. She lived through the financial crisis of 2008 and wrote Mathbabe, a blog dedicated to the concerns of mathematicians working in the financial industry.

O’Neil left the financial industry and earned a postdoctoral program at the Institute for Advanced Study and a position as a professor at Bard College. She developed an interest in machine learning and the use of data in predictive analytics, and published her first book, Doing Data Science: Straight Talk from the Frontline, in 2013. This led her to write her second book, Weapons of Math Destruction.

In Weapons of Math Destruction, O’Neil examines the power and potential dangers of data-driven algorithms, pointing out that they are widely used by big businesses, the government, and even school and university systems. O’Neil argues that these algorithms have a serious impact on individuals and society, and can lead to increased inequality in areas like education and the job market. O’Neil suggests that data-driven algorithms should be held to more stringent standards, subject to legal regulation and public oversight.

O’Neil’s other interests include games, as evidenced by her booknDoing Math with Python: Use programming to explore algebra, statistics, calculus, and more, which shows readers how to apply programming to mathematics and teach themselves mathematics. Her most recent book,The Book of Why: The New Science of Cause and Effect, tackles the difficult question of whether computers can “think” in the same way humans do. O’Neil combines rigorous mathematics and computer science to explore the implications of machine learning and artificial intelligence, demonstrating that understanding the underlying causes of even the simplest behavior is not easy.

O’Neil’s legacy in the world of data science was cemented when she was awarded the inaugural Ada Lovelace Award by the US National Center for Women & Information Technology in 2017. This award, which celebrates the achievements of the most talented women in computing, honored O’Neil for her work in data science and artificial intelligence. O’Neil continues to be a prominent figure in the data science scene, using her expertise to help make data-driven algorithms not just easier to use, but more equitable and ethical.