Navin Sivanandam

Navin Sivanandam has a strong background in data science and theoretical physics. Navin is currently the Head of Core Data Science at Airbnb, where they lead a team focused on applying advanced technology and methods to machine learning and causal inference problems. Prior to this role, they served as the Data Science Lead for the Hosting Platform team and as a Senior Data Science Manager at Airbnb. In these positions, they worked on various projects related to regulatory compliance, the quality of the offline trip experience, host tools, and cancellation policies. Before joining Airbnb, Navin worked as a Data Scientist at Likelihood and WibiData, where they designed and implemented recommendation algorithms for personalized content and developed statistical frameworks for reporting experimental results. Navin also has experience in academia, having worked as a Lecturer and Supervisor at the African Institute For Mathematical Sciences and as a Senior Postdoctoral Fellow in theoretical physics at the African Institute For Mathematical Sciences and the University of Texas at Austin. Their research in theoretical cosmology and machine learning has resulted in multiple peer-reviewed publications.

Navin Sivanandam pursued their education starting in 1999 at the University of Cambridge, where they obtained a Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) in Natural Sciences in 2002. Navin then continued their academic journey in 2002 by enrolling at the University of Cambridge for their Master of Natural Sciences (M.Nat.Sci), which they completed in 2003. Following their time at Cambridge, Navin attended Stanford University from 2003 to 2008, where they achieved a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) degree in Physics.