Louis Mahon
Recently, GDI sat down with one of our newest Fellows, Louis Mahon, to find out more about him and his background. Louis is the second appointed Fellow of the UK branch and has recently brought GDI’s second UK project to completion, working with the charity Paper Boat alongside GDI UK volunteers Diego Carvallo and Adam Jest.
1. Tell us a little about your background. Where did you grow up and what did you want to do when you grew up?
I grew up in Dublin and lived there until moving to Oxford a few years ago. I had lots of different idea of what to be when I grew up – scientist, mathematician, philosopher, writer, stay-at-home dad at one point. I’m still making up my mind honestly.
2. Where do you currently work and what does your role involve on a day to day basis?
I’m a final year PhD student in Computer Science at Oxford. Mostly this involves writing code, and reading and writing papers, occasionally also teaching, presenting and supervising.
3. How did you hear about the Good Data Institute and what made you interested in getting involved?
I first heard about GDI in a Oxford University Computer Science Department newsletter. I had just given up rowing and wanted to put the new energy to something philanthropic.
4. Tell us a little bit about your experiences at GDI so far! What types of projects have you worked on and what have you found most rewarding about them?
I worked on analyzing the results of a survey from Cedar, who run children’s centres in disadvantaged areas of Tamil Nadu in India for Paper Boat. This organisation draws on a rich legacy of working with children in India and Thailand to equip them with the skills, experience and personal qualities that enable them to not only succeed in life, but also flourish. It was fun leading a GDI team and I hope the work we did will be helpful.
5. What are you most excited about as you move into the Fellow role going forward? What types of NFPs and causes interest you most?
I’m most interested in the environment and animal welfare. The former is starting to build some momentum, which is great, but the latter needs a lot more attention in my opinion.
6. Lastly, what are your favourite hobbies? What’s your favourite way to spend a day off?
I enjoy endurance sports, and would like to give triathlon a go, if my current injuries leave me alone.
Get Involved:
If you are a data & analytics professional looking to make an impact and become part of a global community of people like you, applications for our next GDI Data For Good cohort will open soon with the program running over Oct, Nov and Dec 2022. This program serves as the gateway into the Good Data Institute community and consists of learning and development (L&D) events and a team based hackathon with a NFP partner. Sign up for our newsletter here to stay in the loop.
About GDI:
The Good Data Institute (established 2019) is a registered not-for-profit organisation (ABN: 6664087941) that aims to give not-for-profits access to data analytics (D&A) support & tools. Our mission is to be the bridge between the not-for-profit world and the world of data analytics practitioners wishing to do social good. Using D&A, we identify, share, and help implement the most effective means for growing NFP people, organisations, and their impact.
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