Dr Ethan O'Neil
Staff profile
I’m from Middlesbrough, and I’ve worked in the banking sector for most of my professional career in various roles. The most recent and most enjoyable was my time as a Data Analyst at Barclays.
- Course Leader, Cert HE AI and Digital Skills for Business Impact
Tell us about your background?
In terms of my career as a lecturer, I’m relatively new, but I’ve got a good understanding of how the system works at Teesside, having started my academic journey on a Foundation Degree to a PhD.
What do you most enjoy about teaching?
I love helping students apply their learning through practical activities such as lab work and group discussions. It is a rewarding experience reading (and sometimes watching) students’ assessments, seeing how their initial learning turns into knowledge and skills in real-time.
How can students benefit from your experience?
I have a profound sense of knowledge of how to tackle problems from a wide range of scenarios through analysing data in both industry and research contexts. I like to keep things simple, and from my industry experience, I mostly use software like Excel to analyse data. I also utilise Salesforce CRM, Tabelou or PowerBI. I enjoy
working with statistics and have applied it in both industry and research. I value straightforward analyses because they are more practical to perform and easier for stakeholders to understand. When students face particularly challenging datasets, I provide support to help them navigate the complexity.
What industry links do you have?
I have links to the banking and financial services sector, with contacts from across this industry. I also have links in specific software communities too, such as Salesforce.
What has been the highlight of your career so far?
Becoming a Business Data Analytics Lecturer at Teesside University. It was always my goal to be a lecturer and being able to teach students about something I have a passion about is a win-win for me and it will be for you too!
Why should students consider studying this course?
The course is unique with its hands-on and practical approach, with most of the modules learning hours from across both schools, being dedicated to lab-work.
It’s a great opportunity to gain data skills that not many people have. Data is everywhere, in every industry. This course sets you up to be a data expert, giving you a range of analytical skills. Consider the likelihood that your future career will require you to use tools such as Excel or Power BI - it is extremely high. Taking this course is an excellent opportunity to develop those valuable skills.
What is the best piece of advice your have for your students?
Don’t worry about the technical jargon. The most valuable skill you can have in data analysis or data science is a willingness to learn new things