About us

The Data Sciences Institute (DSI) at the University of Toronto is a hub and incubator for data science research, training, and partnerships. The University of Toronto’s data science programs have consistently earned the top spot in Canada, reflecting our dedication to excellence and innovation in the field. Data sciences is defined as the science of collecting, manipulating, storing, visualizing, learning from, and extracting useful information from data in a reproducible, fair and ethical way. 

The DSI has been selected by Palette Skills – lead recipient of the Upskilling for Industry Initiative as selected by Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada (ISED) – as an Upskill Canada Delivery Partner. Palette Skills is a national nonprofit whose purpose is to help Canada’s most innovative companies access untapped talent by creating a rapid upskilling system that connects new talent pipelines to high-demand roles.

Palette Skills launched Upskill Canada, funded by the Government of Canada, to help our country make the most of our competitive advantage while building a more inclusive economy in the process. Upskill Canada connects an ecosystem of employers and training providers across the country to collaborate in new ways and help transition mid-career workers into new careers.

Leadership & Staff

Rohan Alexander
Director, Technical Skills & Curriculum

Helen Lasthiotakis 
Director, Operations & Strategy

Alice Wright
Associate Director, Professional & Lifelong Learning

Curtis Norman
Program Manager, Professional Upskilling

Saira Banu
Employment Specialist

Sara Elhawash
Research & Communications Specialist

Sumaiya Hossain
Partnership & Business Development Officer

Daniel Razavi
Senior Software Developer

Industry Advisory Group

At the heart of our commitment to excellence lies the invaluable input from the private sector and organizations. The Industry Advisory Group, comprised of experts and professionals across various sectors, brings a wealth of real-world insights and perspectives for our programming. Members are  carefully chosen for their knowledge, expertise, and extensive experience, as well as their ability to provide valued counsel and guidance. 

The Group contributes to the program’s alignment with the industry’s latest trends and practical requirements of the job market. Dedicated to crafting data science and machine learning certificates that harmonize the aspirations of participants and the demands of employers, this collaborative effort fuels the Data Sciences Institute curriculum and job readiness skills development process. 

Ernest Chan 
Chief Scientist, PredictNowAI

Carter Cousineau 
Vice President, Data and Model (AI/ML) Governance and Ethics, Thomson Reuters

Ajit Desai 
Principal Data Scientist, Bank of Canada 
 

Javier Diaz 
Head of Data Science, Phenomic AI 

Kamilah Ebrahim
Associate, BCG 

Ann Meyer
Director, BioInnovation Scientist Program, adMare  

Krish Perumal 
CTO, Cedience

Pete Wright 
Director, Software Development & IT, Audiobooks 

Why choose the Data Sciences Institute professional Certificates?

The DSI unifies data sciences across the University of Toronto and external partners. The DSI is committed to supporting a future where people and companies thrive. We are working with Palette Skills to make Canada’s skills ecosystem more responsive to industry needs.

We play a vital role within the Upskill Canada ecosystem, and dedicated to creating new career paths for untapped talent to unleash their full potential. Simultaneously, we support fast growing companies looking to access the talent they need to grow.