Sy Bor Wang, Phd Email & Phone Number

United States

Singapore

As the head of data science at GIC, I lead the company’s global AI strategy, steering the adoption of AI and NLP across various asset classes. My role involves managing high-impact AI projects, integrating cutting-edge technologies, and driving innovation in financial markets. I provide key advisory support to the COO and the AI Council, ensuring executive alignment on AI initiatives.Key Achievements:➞ Won industry innovation awards for pioneering the China Macro Policy Tracker, a tool that utilizes advanced NLP to provide portfolio managers with unique insights across multiple asset classes.➞ Designed and steered GIC's AI and NLP strategy, leading enterprise-wide initiatives that shaped investment research innovation and secured top-level executive alignment for long-term strategic growth.➞ Scaled the data science team from three to eight, cultivating a collaborative culture that boosted cross-functional innovation and team performance on key AI initiatives.➞ Refined data retrieval processes organization-wide by engineering a centralized search engine integrating traditional and semantic search. Facilitated the integration of technologies like OpenAI, Entropic, and Cohere.➞ Instituted GIC's best practices for AI/ML, including methodologies, enterprise tools, MLOps, and LLMOps, for consistent and scalable deployment of AI applications across the firm.➞ Raised GIC's AI capabilities and aligned with industry best practices for trading and investment research by managing global AI engagement with broker research firms and technology vendors.➞ Guided investment decisions and supported the quality and potential of emerging technologies by conducting technical diligence on AI startups for GIC's venture capital arm. Collaborated with GIC’s SF team.➞ Pioneered the first blueprint for RAG architecture to run Gen AI at the enterprise level, designing and implementing the framework across both NY and Singapore offices ahead of any international publications.

San Francisco Bay Area

At BlackRock, I led global data science teams, focusing on building scalable infrastructure and enhancing cross-border collaboration. Here, I managed a San Francisco-based team while providing dotted-line leadership and mentorship to data scientists in Hong Kong (two) and India (four). My efforts were pivotal in aligning data science initiatives with strategic business goals, optimizing global team performance, and improving project execution. Key Achievements:➞ Grew data science infrastructure by closely collaborating with portfolio managers and engineering leaders, ensuring alignment with business objectives.➞ Optimized global team performance by establishing clear communication frameworks and project management systems, enabling seamless execution across distributed teams.➞ Broadened the investable universe by 67% using NLP to discover companies aligned with the investment mandate.

Irvine, California, United States

As the director of data science at Acorns, I spearheaded the development of predictive models and personalization engines that transformed data-driven strategies. My leadership enhanced cross-functional collaboration and scaled technical expertise, driving significant revenue growth.Key Achievements:➞ Generated $650K in incremental revenue by engineering and deploying advanced personalization models that optimized user behaviors and transactions.➞ Designed an A/B testing framework that accelerated the evaluation of data-driven experiments, significantly speeding up deployment times.➞ Strengthened cross-functional collaboration by implementing structured documentation and communication processes, improving synergy between data science and other teams.➞ Elevated technical capabilities across teams by initiating SQL training sessions for nontechnical staff, greatly enhancing data literacy and analytical skills.

San Jose, California, United States

At Adobe, I led key initiatives to enhance the performance of real-time bidding in display advertising. I collaborated with a team of five to design an optimization algorithm for the bidding engine, significantly improving its efficiency and boosting ROI for clients. By partnering with product managers and business analysts, I diagnosed and reengineered underperforming products, driving measurable improvements. Additionally, I developed a hierarchical model for revenue estimation, enabling more precise forecasts. I also supervised and mentored engineers on data science projects, ensuring successful execution and strengthening the team’s technical expertise.

Sunnyvale, California, United States

At Trimble's Advanced Technology Group, I played a crucial role in shaping the company’s innovation and growth strategies. I provided technical due diligence for potential startup acquisitions, ensuring that investments aligned with Trimble's long-term vision. I collaborated closely with legal counsel to strengthen the company’s patent portfolio, particularly in the domain of computer vision, securing Trimble's position as a leader in the field.I also designed and implemented real-time machine learning solutions using MATLAB, OpenCV, and C++ across various product lines, focusing on image segmentation and object recognition. My work directly contributed to the advancement of product capabilities and market competitiveness. Additionally, I supervised and trained engineers in machine learning and statistical techniques, enhancing the team’s ability to solve complex computer vision challenges effectively.

At Vision Interface Group, I was deeply involved in pioneering research that focused on enhancing human-computer interaction through advanced gesture recognition technologies. I developed sophisticated arm gesture recognition methods that were integrated into a body pose tracker, a project supported by Toyota Research. This work was instrumental in creating conversational interfaces and multimodal systems that significantly improved the user experience in automotive environments, particularly for Ford’s in-car interaction systems.

As a research assistant with Spoken Language System, I led the development of a multimodal application designed for seamless object control via voice commands and gestures. My work included designing an innovative speech-pen interface for mobile navigation, which merged spoken language with other input methods. This research was pivotal in advancing mobile and hands-free navigation technologies, contributing to more intuitive and accessible human-machine interaction.

In my role with the Human Vehicle Interface research group, I made significant contributions to the field of automotive human-machine interaction. I developed a cutting-edge finger-tracking system that enabled gesture-based vehicle control. This innovation was recognized with a patent from General Motors and represented a key advancement in enhancing the safety, efficiency, and user experience of vehicle control systems.

Doctor Of Philosophy (Ph.D.), Computer Science

Bachelor Of Science - Bs, Electrical And Computer Engineering