
about Me.
Hello there! My name is Laura Herlant. I’m a passionate and experienced manager of machine learning, artificial intelligence, data analytics and data science professionals.
I got my start in ML and AI through the application of robotics. Through my PhD at Carnegie Mellon University in Computer Science and Robotics I was exposed to robotic manipulation, control theory, planning, and computer vision. At the crux of many breakthroughs in each of these domains is machine learning (and often deep learning). Through hands-on applications during my time as a Sr. Robotics Research Scientist at iRobot, I have had the opportunity to transition ML and AI algorithms from research to production at scale.
Interested in the business operations as well as product development, I took on starting the Enterprise Data Science team where I work closely with the executive team and internal business stakeholders to develop a variety of projects ranging from demand forecasting to customer journey dynamics.

Deep Learning
Tensorflow 1.X & 2.0
Keras
PyTorch
ray, tune, rllib

Programming
Python 2/3
C and C++
Matlab

Soft Skills
Agile Development
Excellent Communicator
Recruiting and Interviewing
Qualifications

Education
Ph.D. in Robotics from Carnegie Mellon
B.E. in Computer Engineering from Georgia Tech

10+ years on the job
Years of hand-on, relevant, post-baccalaureate experience

Awards
Google Hertz Foundation Fellowship
NSF Fellowship