Meet a Data Scientist: Fidan Aydamirova

WiDS Puget Sound is excited to present the next entry in our series, “Meet a Data Professional!”

“Meet a Data Professional” is dedicated to recognizing the amazing women powering the Puget Sound area’s data science community, spotlighting their journey into the field, their incredible accomplishments, and the weighty challenges that they faced along the way. This lies at the heart of WiDS Puget Sound and Data Circles’ mission of inspiring women to enter the data science field by showcasing its many incredible role models.

Do you know any marvelous women in data science? Send us a tip here!

Fidan Aydamirova’s journey to becoming a data scientist is a story of hard work, passion, and learning. Born and raised in Baku, Azerbaijan, Fidan studied Finance at Azerbaijan State University. After graduation, she worked briefly in the banking industry before moving to the United States with her husband in 2015. The United States offered educational and work opportunities as well as adventure for this young couple.

In the US, her husband studied Computer Science at the University of Texas at Austin. They started a family, having two daughters. During this time, Fidan supported her husband and even helped him with his homework. She became interested in computer science herself and decided to take classes at Austin Community College, initially virtually and then in person. The community college was a great transition back into being a student. She realized she was good at programming, but data science gave her the ability to also be innovative and creative.

In 2021, Fidan's husband accepted a job at Expedia, and they moved to Seattle. She started a Graduate Certificate in Computer Science at Seattle University to qualify for their MS in Computer Science with a Data Science specialization program. When Seattle University opened a new MS degree in Data Science, she enrolled in the first cohort for that program. The classes were all in person and in the evening, allowing some to work and be in the program at the same time. This allowed Fidan to care for her daughters, then aged 3 and 5, during the day and let her husband take on that role in the evening while she went to school. She attended full time and completed the program in two years in June 2023.

In Azerbaijan, women often choose less technical professions due to their underrepresentation in the technical fields. Fidan is grateful for the support her family and husband have given to her educational and work goals. Her kids brag that their mom is a scientist. She knows she has inspired and supported other women to get degrees and challenge themselves in their careers. It’s rewarding to be a role model for both her kids and others.

While studying, Fidan took every opportunity to gain practical experience in data science. She was part of a group that did a data science project for the astronomy department. Later their work was published and presented at a Conference of the American Astronomical Society. While getting her Masters she worked in the procurement office at Seattle University as a systems administrator and data analyst, creating dashboards and automated processes, which greatly helped the university manage its finances. Her previous experience in finance and computer science, combined with her new skills in data science, made her work very effective. She feels that having these projects on her resume helped get her recognized by recruiters.

Fidan has nothing but positive things to say about the program at Seattle University. Each professor took their students seriously, pushing them to their limits but being supportive at the same time. They arranged for social meetings to catch up and create a sense of community among students and faculty. Her capstone project was with Costco and gave her invaluable experience, using all the skills she had gained in the program.

Fidan started job hunting early in her master's program. She strongly advises not waiting until graduation to start the process. She would set aside time every day to apply for positions. After many applications and interviews, she had two offers: one at a startup as a machine learning engineer and one at Holland America Line as a Senior Strategic Analyst, which she accepted. Job hunting is hard work and you have to persevere. Sometimes you are over or under-qualified. Sometimes you are sure a company will offer you a job because the interviews went so well, and then you don’t get the job and your self-esteem takes a hit. But you have to believe in yourself and keep going.

Fidan started at Holland America in December 2023.  In her new role, she has worked on predictive modeling, forecasting, automating processes, and creating dashboards. All her past experience allowed her to get up to speed quickly, and her managers have been impressed with how quickly she adapted to her new job. Right now she’s working remotely, but she’s looking forward to working from the company’s Seattle office starting in September.  Not long ago, she was applying for intern positions, but this summer she will be mentoring and leading a Data Scientist intern herself. She hopes to one day become a manager and have the chance to mentor others. 

Fidan Aydamirova’s story is a testament to resilience, adaptability, and the pursuit of knowledge. She transformed challenges into opportunities and became a role model for others in her community. Her journey from Baku to a successful career in data science in the United States is an inspiration to many, demonstrating that with determination and support, significant achievements are possible.