Employee Spotlight: Nandish Dave, Data Visualization Specialist, Office of Research & Innovation
A self-motivated and determined team member at the Office of Research and Innovation (ORI), Nandish Dave is a key player in ensuring that we continue to grow, transform, and innovate as a team. Having previously worked as a Research Assistant and Project Assistant at ORI, Nandish is currently ORI’s Data Visualization Specialist. Nandish is an active and integral part of the backend support team in providing valuable input towards the development of ORI’s Customer Relationship Management (CRM) platform.
Having completed his bachelor’s degree in Information Technology from the Gandhinagar Institute of Technology in India, Nandish shares that he can trace his interest in technology back to his childhood passion for gaming—an interest that has helped him grow professionally. He is skilled in Customer Relationship Management (CRM), full-stack development, JavaScript and Project Management.
Nandish began his journey with Humber College in 2018 as a student in the Enterprise Software Development diploma program. During the program, he was inspired to learn more about how he could apply his technical skills in project management. This led Nandish to pursue the Project Management Postgraduate (PMPG) certificate program in 2019 at Humber. During his studies, Nandish completed a capstone project working as an iOS Developer for ACHIEVE, a 7-step trademarked methodology co-founded by Andrea Wilson, professor in the Faculty of Business at Humber. ACHIEVE provides individuals with the knowledge, tools, and support to help an individual find balance to achieve their goals and unleash their full potential. Nandish proudly shares that continuing to be a part of the ACHIEVE team has significantly contributed to his personal and professional development.
Nandish’s educational journey with Humber culminated in the PMPG Simulation capstone project supervised by Cheryl Francis-Nurse, professor and program coordinator of the PMPG program. Nandish assessed the project risk, issues, and change requests while developing waterfall and agile methodology logic. Nandish says that, through his studies at Humber, he realized that technology and research can come together in endless ways to create impactful solutions to different problems. When asked what research means to him, Nandish responds:
“Research is something that ultimately makes people’s lives easier.”
– Nandish Dave
After joining ORI, Nandish’s learning journey only accelerated as he began taking on more advanced projects using his knowledge in both information technology and project management. Nandish is currently working on a team towards the development of a new CRM platform that will optimize research processes, serving as a customizable way to track projects, partners, events, faculty engagement, and grant approvals.
As an ORI team member, Nandish shares that not only has he been able to develop his technical skills, but he has also sharpened his communications and teamwork skills. Nandish mentions that he has opportunities to learn more about a lot of different yet related topics, such as design development and data analytics. He credits his team leader Camila Perez Pena for always motivating him to learn more and develop himself.
Having completed certifications in Python and R, Nandish is currently working on obtaining certificates in SQL, Power App and AWS. Asked about his favourite part of his current role, Nandish responds that he is inspired by the powerful ways data visualization can help us convey stories about data.
“As an ORI team member, I have so many different opportunities to learn and develop myself.”
– Nandish Dave
We thank Nandish for his always-willing-to-help attitude, and we greatly appreciate his contributions to coordinating various project life cycle activities and resources. Nandish is a dynamic and diligent team member who has demonstrated an excellent ability to work on multiple projects simultaneously.
Reflecting on his time at ORI, Nandish shares that he loves the department’s collaborative and open-minded culture. He notes that he has found a home away from home at ORI.
“Our Office of Research and Innovation (ORI) is like one big family.”
– Nandish Dave
Get to know Nandish a little more. Here are five things you did not know about him:
- Favourite book: Steve Jobs by Walter Isaacson
- Favourite quote: “Stay hungry, stay foolish” –Steve Jobs
- Secret talent: Nandish can play a song on the piano after hearing it just once. We have a musician in the house!
- Favourite Websites: stackoverflow.com, udemy.com, netflix.com
- Coffee or tea: Tea, specifically Masala Chai!