Can you introduce yourself and your role at the Data Science Institute (DSI)? 

My name is Linda Clark. I am an Associate Teaching Professor and the inaugural Academic Director of DSI’s Online Master’s Program in Data Science: Policy, Governance and Society (DSIO). 

What brought you to Brown’s Data Science Institute? 

I began my career at Penn State University, where I earned a PhD in higher education. While I was studying colleges and universities, I found myself interested in the quantitative and statistical aspects of research and administration. I eventually joined the statistics department at Penn State as a social scientist who could perform statistical analyses and communicate clearly with other statistical scientists. 

During that time, I also directed the undergraduate major and worked in a consulting center. That consulting experience had a large impact on how I eventually structured the Data Science Fellows at Brown. 

I was originally hired at Brown as a joint appointment between the Sheridan Center for Teaching and Learning and the DSI to design and direct the Data Science Fellows program and to launch and direct the undergraduate Data Fluency Certificate. 

When I arrived at Brown, I knew how to code in various statistical packages, but I did not know Python. I am essentially a social scientist and statistician who morphed into a data scientist, and I have found that those perspectives complement each other beautifully, especially compared to the more traditional paths through the physical or computer sciences. 

How is DSI’s new online Master’s program in Data Science: Policy, Governance, and Society, filling a necessary niche and developing the next generation of data scientists?

This is such a critical area right now. Many people are cautious of AI and data science, but our goal is to move beyond fear toward regulation, governance, and social good. I want to cultivate a mindset in our graduates where they think through these issues holistically, even at the lowest level, like choosing a dataset or handling missing values. 

In the industry, there is often pressure to work fast and efficiently, and it is a luxury to stop and reflect. We want to train our “frontline” data scientists who have the framework to pause and consider the ramifications of their work from different stakeholder perspectives. While we initially thought this program would attract high-level policymakers, I am increasingly convinced it will empower people at the grassroots level to change how data science is practiced on a day-to-day basis. I think that will be something interesting to watch. 

How did you approach the development of this new Master’s program?

When we decided to launch an online master’s program, many assumed we would simply replicate our residential program. However, given the DSI’s shift toward socio-technological issues like fairness, bias, and policy, we saw a niche that was not being filled. The market was already saturated with straightforward data science degrees, so we decided to leverage our reputation in governance and ethics to enter an untapped space. 

I drew heavily on my background in curriculum design to build an interdisciplinary program from the ground up. We have deliberately crafted a curriculum that is not just “technology” or “policy,” but a literal integration of the two. We use what we call “horizontal integration”; for example, students might use an API to pull data in a foundations course, and then, in their AI Ethics course, they write a policy memo based on that exact data. 

We are also focused on “vertical integration,” ensuring each semester builds directly on the last without redundant or contradictory repetition. This creates a level of connectivity across the curriculum that is rare in higher education. 

When you started at Brown, you developed the Data Science Fellows program; how has this program contributed to innovative data science education at Brown?

The Data Science Fellows are undergraduates who work one-on-one with faculty to support curriculum development. It is not about them teaching; it is about them building actual content for courses. 

In the program, we treat projects as a client-consultant relationship. We teach junior and senior students how to find their voice as collaborators rather than passive students. Often, the faculty members have the domain expertise but lack the technical skills the students possess, making it a true partnership. We also cover project management and the fundamentals of teaching and learning. As these students have to translate technical concepts into educational materials, they develop incredible communication skills that serve them well in any professional interview. 

It has been amazing to see what students can do with open-ended projects. One student built a Colab notebook for an Arabic course that could parse Arabic root names, a tool the instructor continued to use in subsequent semesters. Last year, a fellow even helped redesign the practicum course for the Master’s program, which was a wonderful way to see how an undergraduate can influence graduate-level curriculum. 

We have also had fellows conduct machine learning workshops for the medical school and one student who built a full-stack app to catalog plant species on campus. The most rewarding part is watching the students’ growth. They often start the semester anxious about their project assignments, but because they have so much agency in shaping the work, they end the semester feeling incredibly proud of what they have accomplished. 

How is the Data Science Institute special to you? 

I joined DSI in 2019 when the floor was almost empty and the DSI was primarily a master’s program. Watching it grow into a bustling, multidisciplinary institute has been amazing. 

I appreciate that Brown had the foresight to keep the DSI as an independent institute rather than housing it within a single academic department. This autonomy allows us to look at data science through a multidisciplinary lens. I get especially excited when we get projects from the humanities or the arts because it reinforces our mission. 

What is the most rewarding part of your work?

I have been in higher education for a long time, and the most rewarding moments are still the “aha” moments. I have always enjoyed teaching technical content to non-technical people. When a student realizes, “I can do this, I can be a coder,” or when a Fellow experiences significant personal growth and professional confidence, that is incredibly fun for me. 

What do you like to do for fun? 

I am carrying on the DSI tradition of sculling. Several of our original staff members were big into it, and I picked it up when I came to Brown. I also enjoy tennis and spending time with my family. I have two adult children, and I am lucky to still have my parents nearby. I am also, of course, a proud owner of a Newfoundland dog!