Divya Chandrashekar: Qualitative Data in a Quantitative Way
Divya Chandrashekar, a ݮƵ alum (BSc. ‘22) is currently working at Rogers Communications on 5G strategy. Divya graduated from the Science and Business (Co-op) Program with a Physics Specialization and Mathematic Minor.
Current Position at Rogers
Divya’s position is as Strategic Partnerships Manager, a role which involves maintaining three enterprise partnership portfolios (i.e. Microsoft Corporation) at Rogers Business to complement their offerings.
Her work has exposed her to emerging technologies and how their applications can be incorporated into business streams at Rogers. A lucrative option within the industry has been Gen-AI. In understanding the potential of Gen-AI usage in corporations, Divya identified a data gap regarding the governance and quantitative measures of the success of these models.
In August 2024, Divya started a project which measured aspects of AI usage at Rogers. Key metrics of focus included identifying organizational goals with regards to AI, responsible governance and scalability.
To execute the project, Divya identified steps required to implement AI into their operations, gathered qualitative data, and created a scoring matrix to quantify the information.
To my undergraduate self and to any current students, I would say to be kinder to yourself and enjoy the change of times. School can be hard at times, but soaking in those experiences left me with some priceless perspective.
Divya in the Science Teaching Complex
Interests in Representing Qualitative Data in a Quantitative Way
Divya’s work in transforming qualitative results into quantitative output dates back to her undergraduate capstone project. In her SCBUS 424 course, she worked on creating a market feasibility framework for 5G infrastructure.
“It was very interesting to reference my undergraduate thesis as a starting point for my project at my job. The learning I experienced within the UݮƵ classrooms remain relevant all these years later.”
Foundations from Undergrad
Divya credits her current professional success to the exposure she gained from co-op positions while at ݮƵ. Getting to experience the nuances of a workplace early in her career allowed her to feel more confident approaching challenges and milestones professionally.
Divya recalls her second co-op placement at the Centre for Career Development at UݮƵ where she first encountered transforming qualitative data into measurable business insights by leveraging programs such as Excel and Python.
“This was the first time I thought about how data becomes conclusions in relation to business operations. Even now as I go and present findings to the C-suite at Rogers, I am still thinking about the “so what” of data analysis that I learnt at ݮƵ.”
Maximizing the University Experience
To Divya her time at UݮƵ was a carnival that allowed her to explore her interests and try new things. She describes her love of learning and passion for data as the fuel that encouraged her to put herself in opportunities that left lasting impressions.
“I took as many courses as I could and tried to learn as much as possible. My capstone project really made me realize what my degree had accumulated to, and I cannot recommend it enough. Try new things, do research if not about the topic, you’ll learn about yourself.”
Divya posing outside
Looking Ahead
With her business strategy acumen and portfolio of current projects, Divya is embarking on a Masters in Management & Artificial Intelligence at Queen’s University in May of 2025 to enrich her understanding of how AI in future workplaces.
Scibus graduates posing outside SLC