Doing something new and exciting sparked Brianna Mueller’s interest in business analytics; now that she’s closing in on her PhD, she’s got options.
An unusual path to machine learning
Not everyone would see the connections between human physiology and the emerging field of machine learning. Brianna Mueller, however, isn’t most people.
In spite of earning her undergraduate degree in human physiology, she decided to forego med school, and turned her attention to business analytics.
“At the time, I probably couldn’t have even given you a good answer about why I wanted to study that,” she laughed. “But I thought it sounded quantitative and had some overlap with medicine and it was a year-and-a-half program, so I decided let’s go for it.”
Her path wasn’t direct. Near the end of her undergraduate career, she joined the Women in Business group, where her future took a turn.
“They were promoting the business analytics program and it all sounded brand new and exciting,” she said. “That choice kind of changed the trajectory of everything.”
She ended up liking the subject so much—particularly Professor Nick Street’s machine learning research projects—that she’s now pursuing her PhD in the field.
“There are just so many applications that are interesting,” she said. “Machine learning, despite being quantitative, is also a creative process. You make lots of design choices and options for processing data. It’s interesting to me to have to try many different things until you hit on something that works.”
Research with real world results
Working on real-world applications with Street and other students is rewarding, Mueller said. Currently, she’s working on an application that helps hospitals properly use privacy-sensitive data, allowing physicians to be able to draw conclusions from data without aggregating it in a way that could reveal private patient information.
She credits Street for caring about research outcomes as along with the well-being of his students.
“Whenever I’ve needed help, I’ve never had a problem getting the support I need,” she said. “He’s very busy and has lots of roles, but he always has time to give. I never feel like my work is less important.”
What the future holds
Now, Mueller is choosing between a career in academia or the public sector.
“I’ve always liked the idea of incorporating my background in biology and chemistry. So machine learning applications in industries like biotech and healthcare are possibilities.”
She is also contemplating leaving the Hawkeye state.
“I’m actually looking forward to living elsewhere for a bit,” said the Iowa native who grew up in Adel. “I started this program to pursue a career in research and I’m exploring where that path might lead. It’s exciting to think about all the possibilities.”