My Courses

California's Next Top Big Data Scientist

Formerly titled 'Big Data Analytics,' this core course is an integral part of our Master of Business Analytics program in San Francisco. It is designed to equip students with cutting-edge big data skills, enabling them to excel as a data scientist in this ever-evolving field. The course places significant emphasis not only on technical proficiency but also on effective communication of your analytical insights to both your team and upper management. Topics covered in the course include Distributed Computing with Apache Spark, Streaming Processing with Kafka, Text Analytics, Social Network Analytics, and Deep Learning.

Customer Analytics

This elective course is part of our UC Davis MBA program, and it centers on Customer Relationship Management (CRM), a strategic approach that places customers at the core of any business. In this course, you will delve into the art of utilizing effective CRM to optimize customer identification, acquisition, growth, and retention strategies. You will learn how to leverage customer analytics to gain insights into individual customers, adopting a 'bottom-up' perspective. This perspective will not only allow you to evaluate a company's valuation but also demonstrate the interconnectedness of marketing with finance and accounting.

Data Analytics Venture Final Project

Traditional education heavily relies on exams and test scores to assess students' ability to absorb knowledge. However, this approach often falls short in fostering creativity and motivation. Moreover, it can be demotivating for professors who teach the same course repeatedly. In response to these limitations, I've chosen to take a different approach. Specifically, I've tasked my MBA students with collaborating alongside my MSBA students to create a data analytics venture aimed at addressing an as-yet-unsolved challenge in the realms of business or social good.

Notes to Prospective Students

Apart from the creativity component of the final project, its further purpose is to help you build an effective communication "language" between managers and data scientists. This lack of a common language is one of the biggest issues I have observed in the industry, which eventually leads to silos and unhappiness from both sides.
Although I am teaching CRM, it is my strong belief that students should not be treated as customers by universities. I am expecting you to put the effort required to excel in my classes.
Hard work beats talent!