The European data science academy appoints Dave Clarke to industry board.

The European Data Science Academy (EDSA) has announced appointees to the first EDSA Industry Advisory Board, including one representative from Ireland.

Dave Clarke, Chief Data Scientist with Asystec is currently the only Irish member of the newly established board, which includes representation from a wide range of industries, sectors and countries. The board members were selected internationally for their industry experience and expertise in the data science field.

The primary role of the board will be to help address the data science skills gap in Europe.

“The data analytics industry in Europe is growing, and with that the demand for data science skills is set to increase rapidly. My work on the EDSA board will be to ensure open lines of communication on industry trends and requirements in the area of data analytics so that academia and international curricula can meet the needs of this enormous growth opportunity,” said Dave Clarke, Chief Data Scientist, Asystec.

“I am delighted to sit on the EDSA board, as the only Irish representative, and to influence the European and global data analytics education strategy for the coming years.”

ESDA has been established with a European wide mandate and is considered a flagship project of the European Commission. It aims to work with governments, academia and industry to ensure the data science agenda is cohesive throughout the EU.

With over 20 years experience in the tech sector, particularly data management and analytics, Dave Clarke has held senior roles in EMC, Greenplum, PWC and Vision Consulting. Now Chief Data Scientist with Asystec, Dave works on data analytics projects for a variety of clients including government, corporate and SME contracts.

Asystec is building a big data ecosystem to be used by academics, governments, defence forces and pharma companies among others. With clients in the US, UK and China, the company recently announced a €2 million joint venture with Cisco. The company has offices in Dublin, Belfast, Limerick and Cork and is set for further expansion in the coming months.