Why great data scientists can come from anywhere

Getting into data science has helped Dr Rebecca Pope change the face of healthcare forever but, she says, great scientists don’t always come from where you’d expect

There is no one logical path to a career in STEM. That is the main takeaway from talking to Dr Rebecca Pope, director of data science and engineering at KPMG. A neuroscientist by trade, Pope discovered her love of science while halfway through her A-Levels - all of which were, inconveniently, in arts subjects.

“At the time, I read a book that completely changed the direction of my life. It was Human Brain: a Guided Tour by Professor Susan Greenfield. I read it and fell in love with - what I didn’t know at the time, but what turned out to be - neuroscience.”

There’s no “right” way to get into STEM