Max Dugan-Knight
Former Position at CEP
Associate Manager of Data & Analytics
Length of Tenure at CEP
4 years
What are you up to these days?
Right now I’m working on my dissertation for my Master’s program in “Applied Social Data Science” at the London School of Economics. Once I’m done, I’ll be moving to Toronto and working at a company called DataRobot as a “Customer Facing Data Scientist”.
How did your time at CEP prepare you for what you are doing now?
My time at CEP and YouthTruth prepared me really well for my Master’s program through the technical skills I built like programming in Python and R and statistical analysis. It also gave me valuable experience working on difficult problems that don’t have one easy solution. I learned a lot about persistence and creativity on the YouthTruth analyst team. CEP/YouthTruth also made me competitive for my future job because it gave me a strong combination of technical and communication skills. Being able to communicate clearly about technical concepts has been important for me.
What do you miss most about working at CEP?
The office atmosphere in CEP-West was amazing. The lunch breaks on the couches, the rare but thrilling ping-pong tournaments, the potlucks, the full staff retreats with CEP-East and everything else made it easy to come into work every day. I miss everyone!
What advice would you give someone about working at CEP?
First, I highly recommend it. It was an amazing first job out of college. I’m so glad I spent 4 years there. Second, don’t be afraid to let your manager and co-workers know where your interests lie and where you want to grow. There is a real culture of growth and people will support you. Third (and most importantly), if you’re in CEP-West, go to Oasis Grill on Drumm Street for lunch at least once a week.
Describe your perfect Sunday.
I wake up early for an Arsenal game in a timezone way ahead of me and spend the rest of the day upset at my team’s incredible ability to inspire hope and then crumble. It doesn’t sound like a perfect day but you learn to love it. I probably have some good Turkish food too.