Keeping Up with Kelly, PetSmart Data Scientist and Pet Parent to Kiwi and Apollo

Kelly and Kiwi hiking in sunny AZ 😎☀️

Come and catch up with Kelly, Data Scientist at PetSmart and pet parent to Kiwi and Apollo, her rescue dogs. 🥰 With just under a year under her belt, she says, "I feel like a valued member of my team. I enjoy the challenge of growing AI-based solutions within our business."

Kelly is part of the Customer Experience on the Business Intelligence and Advanced Analytics team and works closely with PetSmart IT. PetSmart's Information Technology department spans five different areas. From engineering and applications to store operations and tech support, we have a place for everyone to advance their career in tech and make an impact. Even at PetSmart, a tell-tale sign you're working on tech within your team is when someone says Python, you think of programming and not the snake. 🤭

When Kelly joined #lifeatpetsmart, she did not have a retail or business background. She said, "I came from an applied physics lab, doing NASA earth science research in academia before coming to PetSmart. I am grateful I was given the opportunity to apply my skillset to new and exciting problems that I wouldn't have been able to work on otherwise. I know I belong at PetSmart because my experience and perspective are valued." Kelly says her #LifeAtPetSmart can be described in 3 words: Analyze, Optimize, and Personalize.

Kiwi & Apollo 🥰 🥰

As a Data Scientist, Kelly works with her team to build machine learning models and conduct statistical analyses—with the goal of improving customer personalization and experience. She analyzes how customers behave and their preferences and how we can use that information to serve pets and pet parents better. Her role is super cool because, "even simple statistics can give us so much cool and useful information! If you question the "why" behind an event, utilizing data science and analytics is extremely valuable. The BIAA team at PetSmart has a wealth of knowledge and experience that makes us valuable to the entire organization. We are actively working on multiple ML models that improve our customer experience, in addition to the models already in production that help to inform business decisions every day. Leveraging data science improves efficiency and will give PetSmart a competitive advantage now and in the future."

This is the GIF Kelly would use to describe her job. 😊

I get to solve fun, complex, and challenging puzzles every day. The applications of data science projects are very important to informing business decisions, but while they are being developed, they feel like fun yet challenging puzzles. I am grateful that I get to leverage my skillset to help improve data science models at PetSmart.

Kelly, Data Scientist - Pet Parent to Kiwi & Apollo

You can learn more about the different impacts our Phoenix Home Office teams make and explore open roles here.