Souvik Samanta — Senior Data Scientist & Independent Analytics Consultant

// about

Data scientist who thinks like a business partner

I'm a Senior Data Scientist with 6+ years of experience building end-to-end ML systems across EdTech, travel, and real estate. Currently at Coursera, where I own lifecycle analytics and CRM campaign measurement across millions of learners.

My strength is thought partnership — I don't hand over reports. I sit with marketing and growth leaders, frame the right problems, and align on actions that move metrics that matter. Lead scoring that cuts costs. Churn models that enable retention at scale. Experiments that teams can actually act on.

Before data science, I was a structural engineer — which means I've always thought in systems, validated assumptions, and built things where errors have consequences. I also co-founded Quantbot Securities, an automated copy-trading platform, giving me a founder's accountability over every layer of a product.

MBA in Finance & Analytics, IMI New Delhi.

Machine Learning

XGBoost LightGBM Scikit-learn Random Forest K-Means ARIMA Prophet

Languages & Data

Python SQL pandas NumPy Bayesian Stats

Data Engineering

Databricks BigQuery Airflow Docker Kubernetes Google Cloud

BI & Backend

Power BI Looker Braze FastAPI Django REST

// experience

The journey so far

Six years across EdTech, travel, real estate, and fintech — building ML systems and data strategies that moved real business needles.

Sept 2024 — Present

Data Scientist II — Lifecycle Analytics & ML

Coursera · EdTech · Remote

Built and deployed churn prediction models (XGBoost/LightGBM) on Databricks, identifying at-risk learners across millions of users
Developed customer segmentation using K-Means and RFM analysis to personalise CRM campaigns across email, push, and in-app channels
Designed and executed A/B tests, holdout experiments, and lift studies using Bayesian and frequentist frameworks
Automated ML feature pipelines on Databricks for model scoring and campaign audience generation at scale
Thought partner to CRM and marketing leadership — translating model outputs into targeting and channel strategy

Millions of users Bayesian A/B framework

Jan 2021 — Jan 2026

Co-Founder & ML Engineer

Quantbot Securities Pvt. Ltd. · Fintech · Remote

Co-founded and built an automated copy-trading platform from scratch during COVID — real customers, real revenue, 5 years of operation
Built ML models for trade signal generation, price movement prediction, and portfolio risk analysis
Designed a high-availability distributed backend using FastAPI, Django, Docker, and Kubernetes with async broker API integrations
Led full backend architecture, cloud infrastructure, and all engineering decisions end-to-end as a solo technical founder
Managed end-to-end: client relationships, team of 4, compliance, invoicing, and product roadmap

Auto-scaling cloud infra Real trading profits

Sept 2022 — Aug 2024

Business Analyst — Customer Insights & ML Analytics

Travelopia · Travel · Remote

Built propensity-to-purchase and lead scoring models (Logistic Regression, Random Forest, XGBoost) improving targeting precision significantly
Developed LTV forecasting and time-series demand models (ARIMA, Prophet) for revenue planning and inventory decisions
Built automated data pipelines using Docker and Google Cloud with near-real-time refreshes for ML feature stores and reporting
Designed Power BI dashboards integrating multi-source data for cross-brand visibility used by senior leadership weekly

30% marketing cost reduction 20% lead quality uplift

Nov 2021 — Aug 2022

Business Analyst

NoBroker Technologies · PropTech · Bangalore

Identified high-converting customer cohorts using segmentation and funnel analytics, directly reshaping growth team targeting strategy
Delivered analytical insights on growth and sales performance driving 15% revenue improvement
Automated reporting pipelines using Python (pandas, NumPy), cutting report turnaround by 30%
Designed interactive dashboards for sales and marketing visibility in Google Data Studio

15% revenue improvement 30% faster reporting

Apr 2021 — Oct 2021

Senior Business Associate — Analytics & Strategy

Tech Mahindra · IT Services · Kolkata

Supported client-facing data analytics projects and campaign optimisation initiatives in the Big Data and Analytics domain
Built tracking systems for process monitoring and performance reporting
First enterprise analytics role — foundation for understanding how data decisions are made at scale

Aug 2017 — Jul 2018

Structural Engineer

M. N. Dastur & Co. · Engineering · Kolkata

Structural design and load analysis for large-scale steel plant projects using STAAD Pro and CAD
Built precision in calculations and rigorous validation habits — the same discipline that defines good data science
The foundation for thinking in systems, validating assumptions, and communicating technical findings to non-technical stakeholders

⚡ Core ML

XGBoost LightGBM Random Forest Logistic Reg. K-Means Scikit-learn

📈 Forecasting & Stats

A/B Testing Bayesian Stats ARIMA Prophet Hypothesis Testing LTV Modelling

🛢 Data Engineering

Databricks BigQuery Airflow Docker Kubernetes Google Cloud

📊 BI & Languages

Python SQL Power BI Looker Braze

🔧 Backend & APIs

FastAPI Django REST Async Processing CI/CD

// selected work

Impact that speaks in numbers

Projects where data moved business needles — not just dashboards for dashboards' sake.

Coursera ML · CRM Analytics

Churn Prediction & Lifecycle ML

Built and deployed churn prediction models (XGBoost/LightGBM) on Databricks to identify at-risk learners and power retention interventions at scale. Developed automated ML feature pipelines for campaign audience generation across millions of users. Partnered with marketing leadership to translate model outputs into CRM strategy.

Millions of users served Bayesian A/B framework

XGBoost LightGBM Databricks K-Means Braze Looker

Travelopia Predictive Modelling

Lead Scoring & Propensity Models

Built propensity-to-purchase and lead scoring models that directly reduced marketing spend while improving the quality of leads passed to sales. Developed customer LTV forecasting and time-series demand models (ARIMA, Prophet) for revenue planning. Built automated data pipelines on Google Cloud with near-real-time feature store refreshes.

30% marketing cost reduction 20% lead quality uplift

Logistic Regression Random Forest XGBoost ARIMA Prophet Google Cloud Docker Power BI

Quantbot Securities Fintech · ML Platform

Automated Copy-Trading Platform

Co-founded and built an end-to-end cloud-based copy-trading platform from scratch during COVID. Led all backend architecture and ML engineering — trade signal generation, price movement prediction, and portfolio risk models. Designed a high-availability distributed system using Django, FastAPI, Docker, and Kubernetes with async broker API integrations. Real customers, real revenue, 5 years of operation.

Real trading profits generated Auto-scaling cloud infra

FastAPI Django Kubernetes Docker ML Signal Models Async APIs

NoBroker Growth Analytics

Funnel Analytics & Segmentation

Identified high-converting customer cohorts that were being ignored by volume-only metrics. Built a segmentation and analytics layer that surfaced which cohorts actually converted — directly reshaping the growth team's targeting strategy and driving meaningful revenue improvement. Automated reporting pipelines in Python cut turnaround by 30%.

15% revenue improvement 30% faster reporting

Python Segmentation Cohort Analysis Google Data Studio SQL

// how I can help

What I bring to your team

Available for consulting engagements, part-time contracts, and full-time roles where data is a strategic function.

Availability

Open to full-time roles

15–20 hrs/week consulting

Remote · IST (UTC+5:30)

Async-friendly for US/EU teams

Retainers & project-based

Book a Free 30-min Call

🎯

Customer Analytics

Churn prediction, lead scoring, propensity models, LTV forecasting, and segmentation — built for targeting precision and retention, not just model accuracy.

📊

CRM & Lifecycle Analytics

End-to-end measurement of campaigns across email, push, and in-app. Currently doing this at scale for a global EdTech platform with millions of users.

🧪

Experimentation

A/B tests, holdout experiments, and lift studies designed to be statistically rigorous and business-relevant. Teams can actually act on the results.

⚙️

Data Engineering

Automated pipelines on Databricks, BigQuery, Google Cloud, and Docker. ML feature stores, ETL workflows, and real-time data infrastructure built to last.

📈

Dashboards & BI

Power BI, Looker, and Google Data Studio — built for executive decision-making, not operational visibility. Senior leaders should understand it in under 30 seconds.

🤝

Data Strategy

Identify what to measure, build easy-to-read frameworks, and coach teams to make confident data-driven decisions. For non-technical leaders who need clarity fast.

// recommendations

What colleagues say

Verified LinkedIn recommendations from people who've worked with me directly.

I had the pleasure of working with Souvik at Travelopia for over two years. He consistently showcased exceptional skills in ML modeling using Python, delivering impressive results on complex projects. Beyond his technical expertise, Souvik is a remarkable team player, fostering collaboration and encouraging open dialogue among team members. His positive attitude and strong work ethic greatly enhanced our team dynamic. I am confident that Souvik will be a valuable asset to any organization he joins, bringing both expertise and a collaborative spirit to the table.

Tejash Popate

Business Analyst · Travelopia
Worked on the same team

View on LinkedIn

I had the pleasure of working with Souvik for more than 1.5 years at Travelopia, and I can confidently attest to his exceptional skills and contributions. Souvik was an invaluable asset to our team, delivering high-quality work on various analytics projects, including building dashboards in Power BI, analysis using Python, and developing machine learning and factor-based models. His dedication, strong work ethic, and technical expertise enabled him to tackle complex projects with ease. What impressed me most about Souvik was his willingness to support and collaborate with other team members, fostering a spirit of teamwork and knowledge sharing. I highly recommend Souvik for any future roles.

Jyoti Kumar

Analytics Leader · Data Science & Predictive Modelling
Managed Souvik directly