Partner Spotlight: Get to know Dr Emma McHarg - Head of Data Science

Partner Spotlight will be running as a monthly series. We all want to get to know our brilliant community a little better and find out the things that make them tick in and out of work.

What is your role and how long have you worked at The Nursery?

Head of Data Science and Visualisation, worked at the Nursery for 9 years (I think!)

What did your journey before working at The Nursery look like and what led you here?

Prior to working at The Nursery, I worked at Royal Holloway, University of London for about 12 years as a lecturer.  I got my PhD in social neuroscience (specifically, the effects of ostracism) but became somewhat disillusioned with academia.  So I moved out into the commercial world, using the skills and analytic techniques I had previously learned for a whole new set of problems…

If you could switch your job with anyone else within The Nursery whose job would you want and why?

Pauline, because she always seems really chilled!

What is your proudest moment or biggest accomplishment?

Obviously, my kids.  Other than that, literally every time I make it to the top of a climbing route I’m pretty pleased with myself...

What would you do (in your career) if you weren’t doing this?

I would be doing this, but in a mountain hut in the Pyrenees…. Or possibly jet-ski instructor, once I’ve learned to jet ski 😉

Tell us something about yourself that may be surprising.

I practiced Russian Ballet until the age of 14.

What’s your go-to Karaoke song?

I don’t do karaoke, for everyone’s sake.  But if I did, it would be Common People by Pulp

You can only choose one:

Art or Science?

Art

Mountains or Sea?

Mountains

Cats or Dogs?

I had both cats and dogs growing up, so this is tricky, but I'm going to go dogs as my dog wouldn't forgive me if I didn't...

Pizza or Pasta?

Pasta