LB Finer

LB Finer has a diverse work experience spanning over several years. They have held various roles in different industries.

From 2020 to the present, LB Finer worked at RetailStat, where they served as the Head of Data Science Services. In this role, they led a team of four data scientists who provided research, analytic, and modeling support across the company. LB Finer was responsible for overseeing the development and improvement of machine learning models to predict retail sales and enhance data flows within the company. They also met with clients to identify metrics that would benefit their businesses, developed them, and communicated the results effectively.

Prior to RetailStat, LB Finer worked as the Lead Data Scientist at Thasos. During their time there from 2020 to 2022, LB Finer oversaw the accuracy and improvement of RetailStat's Real Estate Intelligence tool, which estimated foot traffic at 800K US retail locations. They also played a key role in adding value for retailers, landlords, and investors by making methodological improvements to Thasos's data pipeline. Additionally, LB Finer contributed to data quality initiatives and developed statistical models and exploratory data analyses to enhance RetailStat's algorithms.

In 2020, LB Finer founded Mavens Tools. As the founder, they built a suite of tools for online poker sites, including a Python/Flask web app and a Twilio text- and voice-response system. They also generated player histories and game summaries and secured monthly subscription packages for these services.

Starting in 2018, LB Finer worked as a Freelance Data Analyst, Software Engineer, and Researcher. They took on a wide range of programming, data engineering, research, and analysis tasks for clients. This included overhauling a client website containing thousands of images using Python and web-scraping tools.

In 2019, LB Finer completed a 12-week intensive data science bootcamp at Metis. During the bootcamp, they developed skills in programming, data acquisition and cleaning, and machine learning. They worked on projects such as developing an autoencoder with convolutional neural network inputs and estimating linear regression models to price contemporary artworks.

From 1998 to 2018, LB Finer worked at the Guttmacher Institute as a Senior Research Associate to the Vice President for Domestic Research. Their responsibilities included conducting original policy-relevant research in the areas of contraceptive use, unintended pregnancy, and abortion. They managed research projects, analyzed data, and published results. LB Finer also designed and implemented systems to improve data infrastructure at the Institute and in the Research division.

Before that, LB Finer worked as a Social Science Analyst at the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) from 1997 to 1998. They conducted statistical analyses for the Population Dynamics Branch and assisted with writing funding announcements and requests for applications.

In 1995, LB Finer worked at the Abell Foundation Inc as a Research Analyst and Interim Program Officer. They reviewed grant proposals, monitored ongoing grants, and designed customized spreadsheet applications.

LB Finer also has experience as a Research and Teaching Assistant for Professor Nan Astone at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health from 1994 to 1995. Additionally, they served as a Crossword Editor at Dell Champion Crosswords from 1993 to 1994 and as a Marketing Associate at J.P. Morgan Asset Management from 1991 to 1994, where they wrote custom computer applications and oversaw the production of reports and fact sheets for mutual fund clients.

LB Finer attended Harvard University where they earned a Bachelor of Arts (BA) degree in Psychology. They also pursued further education at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, where they obtained a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) degree in Demography and Population Studies. No specific start or end dates were given for either educational experience.