Getting to know Persefoni: Meet Alex Hasha

1. And you may ask yourself, "Well... how did I get here?" (Tell us your journey?)

My education was in mathematics, but I ended up studying fluid mechanics and atmospheric sciences, ultimately working on wave mechanics problems in global climate models. When I wrapped up my studies, I wanted to work in climate change outside of academia. This was in 2008, just as the financial crisis was boiling over, and I didn’t manage to connect the dots to find a role working on climate in the private sector.
I ended up in the Financial Services industry, first as a “Quant” working on Mortgage Backed Securities (in 2008...interesting timing) and later as a Data Scientist building intelligent customer service experiences using Machine Learning.
The frightening 2018 IPCC report and the wave of protests that followed jostled me back to my original intention to work on climate change, and I started looking for the right opportunity. When I found Persefoni, I knew I’d found a place where data and analytics expertise could make a huge difference to the climate crisis.

2. And you may find yourself behind the wheel of a large automobile. (What do you do at Persefoni?)

As Persefoni’s Sr. Director of Data Science, I’m building a team of Data Scientists who help ensure that Persefoni’s carbon and climate analytics are rigorous, accurate, and integrated with the most cutting edge scientific models and data.

When many people hear the term “Data Science”, they think immediately of Machine Learning and Artificial Intelligence. We do our share of that, but we see Data Science as a broader discipline including data quality management, data visualization, and connecting the latest science to business decisions.

3. And you may ask yourself, "Where does that highway go to?" (What are your hopes for your time at Persefoni?)

Tracking carbon emissions and climate risks is a complex challenge that has historically taken deep specialization and enormous manual effort to perform. It has usually been delivered a couple of years too late to really influence business decisions. I hope that my work at Persefoni will help make deep decarbonization accessible to businesses of every size and shape, and ultimately contribute to a profound acceleration of the global effort to slow climate change.

4. And you may say to yourself, "My God! What have I done?" (Why is Persefoni a great home for you?)

Working at Persefoni gives me greater peace of mind, knowing that I am spending my energy and abilities to preserve the natural resources that my children and their generation will need to prosper and flourish. But it’s also just a fun place to work! I love working with colleagues who are passionate about the same cause, and who take the same pleasure that I do in a nerdy joke or an elegant line of code.

5. And you may find yourself in another part of the world... (Tell us about your life/hobbies away from work?)

When I’m not working, I like to get outside to work in my garden or go for a hike in the woods near my house. After working remotely for over 5 years, I’ve learned how important it is to cultivate strong relationships outside of work, so I’m active in my church community and volunteer with my town’s sustainability group. I’m also a music lover. Since I work from home, I love to pop over to the piano to practice for a few minutes to clear my head between tasks.

Meet other Persefonites!

• Getting to know Emma Sweby

• Getting to know Kristina Wyatt

• Getting to know Stephanie Bilet

“Once in a Lifetime" is a series of articles designed to help our customers and partners learn more about Persefoni's truly passionate team. We're not just building award-winning software ... together, we're helping to decarbonize our planet.