hayden herstrom

data scientist

links

about

Biochemistry undergrad, now finishing my MS in Business Analytics at the Carlson School of Management (AI in Business track, August 2026). Coursework and personal projects center on ML pipelines, predictive modeling, deep learning, and big-data systems. Other interests: math, physics, quantitative finance, equity markets, computational drug discovery, applied LLMs, local inference. Open to data science and analytics roles starting August 2026. Particularly drawn to applications in biotech and medical devices, where my biochemistry background adds domain depth.

experience

Analytics Student Consultant
Carlson Analytics Lab (Nov 2025 – present)
Route optimization and monitoring dashboard for 4MATIV School Transportation Services, coordinating GPS data inputs to support agentic AI workflows. Deployed classification models on contract bidding data for CSI Inc., increasing forecasted profit margins by 8%.
AGI Hackathon Student Lead
Carlson School of Management (Jan 2026 – Feb 2026)
Planned and executed the 2026 Analytics for Good Institute Hackathon — logistics, prizes, catering, and technical challenges for 100+ participants.
Customer Service & Billing Representative
Zimmer Biomet (Dec 2024 – Aug 2025)
Fully automated billing of highest-volume clients using OCR, LLMs, and Python, resulting in 25% reduction in department headcount. Developed JavaScript applications to automate data exchange between Zimmer Biomet's internal site and hospital billing portals, eliminating manual data entry.
Lab Technician (Contract)
Cargill (Aug 2024 – Oct 2024)
NIR spectroscopy analysis on animal feed samples, delivering data for R&D consultants.
Server & Hospitality Professional
Various (Feb 2016 – Dec 2025)
6Smith, Birch's on the Lake, Texas Roadhouse, Maui Wowi. Employee of the Month twice at Texas Roadhouse; manager at Maui Wowi.

education

MS Business Analytics, Carlson School of Management, UMN (expected August 2026)
3.8 GPA. AI in Business track. Wedum Centennial Scholarship.
BS Biochemistry, College of Biological Sciences, UMN (2024)
Minor in Computer Science. Full Merit Scholar. 33 ACT.
Study Abroad, University of Oslo, Norway (Fall 2022)

skills

Python, R, SQL, Java, C, JavaScript, PyTorch, TensorFlow, Keras, scikit-learn, Pandas, NumPy, Apache Spark, Databricks, AWS, GCP, Hadoop, Hive, RAG, Time Series Analysis, A/B Testing, Causal Inference, Excel, Tableau, Git, Linux, Railway

projects

FDA FAERS Database Dashboard — Trends Marketplace 3rd place. Processes millions of FDA adverse event reports with Databricks Spark and NLP to normalize drug terminology, cluster adverse events, and surface drug safety signals. Streamlit dashboard.
Claude Code Usage Monitor — Northland Hackathon 4th place. Electron desktop widget that gamifies Claude Code API usage by linking a pixel-art virtual pet's health to real token consumption, with streaks and achievements.
Algorithmic Trading Program — Python trading system interfacing with the Schwab API to execute automated long/short equity strategies with position management, SQLite data storage, and trade journaling.
PhotoSift — Native iOS app (Swift/SwiftUI) that groups near-duplicate photos and scores them by sharpness, face quality, and exposure for fast bulk deletion. Fully on-device using Apple Vision and Core Image — no backend or subscription.
UMN Biotech & Finance Club — Founded a cross-disciplinary investment club bringing together Carlson students, pharmacy graduate students, and undergraduates to bridge biomedical science and capital markets. Applied pharmacodynamic and clinical-stage drug analysis to identify overvalued biotech candidates; executed profitable short positions in aTyr Pharma (efzofitimod, sarcoidosis) and Anavex Life Sciences (blarcamesine, Alzheimer's).
View BTFC photo page
Strang's Four Fundamental Subspaces Visualizer — Interactive 3D visualization of the four fundamental subspaces of a matrix. Three.js, Node.js, math.js.

github.com/Hayden1629

certifications & honors