Dr Rebecca Pope readily admits that she became a data scientist “entirely by accident”. The digital and data science innovation lead at healthcare giant Roche “never really had a plan” to achieve such a position.
“It’s always been about a purpose for me: to work in a job where I can use my quantitative skills to make the world a better place,” she says.
Although Pope had excelled in maths, sciences and electronics at school, she opted for mostly arts subjects at A-level. But a year before she was due to sit the exams, a discussion in her philosophy class about self-perception sparked the interest that would shape her career.