Exclusive Interview with Jerry Yurchisin, Senior Data Science Strategist, Gurobi - Leading Mathematical Optimization Solver Company Discusses Insights and Future Plans
Jerry Yurchisin, a seasoned data scientist, is currently making waves at Gurobi, a company renowned for developing the world's fastest mathematical optimization solver. His background in Integrated Mathematics, Applied Mathematics, Operations Research, and Statistics has been instrumental in his journey, leading him to his role as a Senior Data Science Strategist.
Yurchisin's academic journey began with a Bachelor of Education in Integrated Mathematics, followed by master's degrees in Applied Mathematics and Operations Research and Statistics. His passion for mathematical optimization was ignited during his graduate studies when he took a course in mathematical optimization and linear programming. This interest, coupled with his teaching and consulting experience, has established him as an expert in mathematical concepts.
Throughout his early career, Yurchisin focused on optimization problems, working as a consultant and federal contractor. As data science and machine learning gained prominence, he expanded his skill set to include these areas, preparing him for his current role at Gurobi.
At Gurobi, Yurchisin leverages his blend of mathematical optimization and data science to solve complex scheduling and decision-making problems. One such example is the NFL, which uses Gurobi to generate and evaluate tens of thousands of schedules far more efficiently than traditional methods, thanks to Yurchisin's expertise.
In his current role, Yurchisin's mission is to reach the data science and artificial intelligence communities and demonstrate the benefits of incorporating mathematical optimization into their skillset. He joined Gurobi due to its potential to drive wider adoption of optimization projects and to share the benefits of mathematical optimization with data science audiences.
Gurobi offers a range of support services to help users, including guidance and technical assistance from a team of PhD-level experts. The Gurobi Compute Server offloads intense computations onto dedicated and clustered servers, supporting large-scale optimization projects. The Gurobi Instant Cloud enables users to run the Optimizer on Azure or AWS cloud environments.
Yurchisin is particularly proud of creating lessons in Gurobi's "Optimization for Data Scientists" training series, designed for data scientists interested in the application of mathematical optimization to their data-centric work. This series aims to make mathematical optimization more approachable and engaging for the data science community.
The Gurobi Optimizer allows users to model their problems and solve them to global optimality, handling complex nonlinear relationships in mathematical models. This tool enables companies to make unbiased decisions at the speed of business, as demonstrated by the NFL's use of Gurobi to generate and analyze over 50,000 schedules in the time it used to take them to generate only five options. The NFL is a testament to Gurobi's success in simplifying and improving complex decision-making processes.
[1] Source: Gurobi Official Website
Data-and-cloud-computing services like Gurobi's Gurobi Instant Cloud, which allows users to run the Optimizer on Azure or AWS cloud environments, are integral to Yurchisin's mission to bridge the gap between mathematical optimization and the data science community. Through his role at Gurobi, Yurchisin employs technology and data-and-cloud-computing solutions to revolutionize the way complex scheduling and decision-making problems are tackled in various industries, including the NFL.
