Most important benefit is the variety in all my projects

Cas - Data Scientist

After completing my Master’s degrees in Statistics and Biology at Leiden University, I moved to Switzerland for a few years to pursue a PhD in Bioinformatics. Five years later, I wanted to live closer to my family and friends again and applied to Statistics Netherlands for a Data Scientist position in the National Accounts department.

'Data science' is a catch-all term. Here, it means keeping a critical eye on processes, maintain overview and lots of discussions with substantive (economic) experts, which help me understand what is behind their decisions. I work on various projects, such as converting the quarterly estimates. In addition, I am involved in the IT transition of our department and, together with colleagues, have prepared a roadmap and other documentation for this. I am also setting up an R course with a few teammates.

What makes working at CBS so much fun is that it is work with social relevance within a team of young colleagues. But the most important benefit is the variety in all these projects, with programming as the central theme. It's like 1,001 different puzzles that need solving.

Solving puzzles is something I don't only do during working hours, by the way. Even in my spare time, whether in the climbing hall or during a game of chess, I like to search for the right solution. The great thing about these activities is they require both sportsmanship and a lot of brainwork; you can keep developing. That’s how I climb one step higher every week!