Thom Bauer

Data Scientist | Product Owner | ML/AI Product Manager

About Me

Hi, I’m Thom, a Data Scientist and Product Owner with a master’s degree in Sociology and Psychology, and advanced certifications in Data Science and Machine Learning. I’m passionate about emerging technologies and continually expanding my skill set. With a strong background in teaching coding and data concepts, I’m always eager to learn and grow.

With over 10+ years of management experience as a Team Lead, Head of IT Operations, and Head of Data Analytics, I focus on customer-centricity and clear communication as key drivers of success. I’ve always prioritized Customer Satisfaction and Experience Management, both in my leadership roles and product development.

Over my 20+ years as a coder and analyst, I’ve mastered various programming languages and tools. I’m constantly exploring new techniques to improve efficiency and future-proof my approach.

As a Data Scientist, I specialize in building Machine Learning models that enhance customer experiences and automate text processing for streamlined workflows. At the intersection of Data Science and Social Sciences, I’m working with explainable AI (xAI) to ensure transparent, human-friendly decision-making in automated systems.

In addition to my hands-on experience, I am also passionate about sharing knowledge. I have had the privilege of presenting at congresses and conferences, lecturing in university programs and leading practical training sessions for non-technical professionals.

I possess advanced expertise in Python and Tableau, with a strong command of R. Currently, I am enhancing my proficiency in PowerBI and generative AI to further broaden my technical capabilities.

As a ML/AI Product Manger I maximize the value of innovative Machine Learning solutions to build the future claims products in the Social Insurance Industry.

Skills / Tools

***** | 6 years | pandas/sklearn/dash/jupyter notebook

R

**** | 8 years | tidyverse/data.table/expss

SQL PostgreSQL Oracle

**** | 5 years | building tables and querying databases to store and analyze data quickly

***** | 6 years | visit my Tableau Public page

PowerBI

**** | 2 years | building data driven reports and KPI dashboards

MS Copilot Studio & Power Automate

**** | 2 years | building knowledge assist and experimenting with agentic AI

Julia PowerBI JIRA Confluence Bitbucket

Experience

Suva Luzern

suva.ch

ML/AI Product Manager Claims

2025 - Present

ML/AI Product Manager Claims - Automating Claims Processing with Machine Learning Applications and generative AI - Data Products and Analytical Applications

Team Lead Data Science & Analytics

2022 - Present

Team Lead Data Science - Machine Learning Applications Claims Management - Analytics and Insights Applications

Data Scientist & Product Owner

2020 - 2025

Data Scientist - Machine Learning, Process Automation - Reporting, Visual Analytics | Product Owner Data Science - Data Science Scrum Team in SAFe - Visions, Roadmaps, Communication

YouGov Switzerland

https://business.yougov.com/company/yougov-switzerland

Head Data & Analytics

2019 - 2020

Head of Department: Data Collection, Data Analysis and Reporting - Data Analytics and Data Science - Text Analytics and Reporting Automation - Data Visualisation and Automation - Product Developer and Product Owner

Head IT Operations

2018 - 2019

Head of Department: Data Collection, Data Analysis and IT Support - Data Analytics and Data Science - Text Analytics - Data Visualisation and Automation - Product Developer - Planing, Managing and Developing of IT

Head Data Processing

2011 - 2018

Team Leader Data Analysis - Data Analytics and Text Analytics - Data Visualisation and Automation

Project Manager

2007 - 2010

Project Management for Key Projects in Social und Media Research - Data Analysis and Automation

Kantar Germany Munich

https://www.kantardeutschland.de

Data Analyst

2006 - 2007

Data Analysis for Key Account in Telecommunications Sector - Reporting and statistical Modeling

Friedrich-Schiller-Universität Jena and Università di Siena

uni-jena.de

Data Analyst / Research Associate

2001 - 2006

Research Associate: EU Political Sciences Research Project on Elites - Data Analysis covering several Research Projects - Tutoring Empirical Social Sciences

Education

Lucerne University of Applied Sciences, IT Department

https://www.hslu.ch/de-ch/informatik/

CAS Big Data Analytics

2019 - 2020

Management decision-making processes are based on future-oriented information on scenarios and forecasts. This requires near real-time insights and conclusions to be drawn from a wealth of structured and unstructured, internal and external data sources. Advanced methods of data management, arbitrarily scalable computing power and the extended capabilities of analytics and forecasting make this possible. This development poses great challenges for many companies, but also opens up numerous new perspectives.

Friedrich-Schiller-Universität Jena

https://www.uni-jena.de

M.A. Sociology/Psychology

2000 - 2005

Friedrich-Schiller-University of Jena is one of the oldest and most traditional universities in Germany. On the occasion of the 450th anniversary of the university, Jena was awarded the title "City of Science" in 2008. In 2018 the university was again able to acquire additional funding within the framework of the Excellence Initiative with the research cluster "Balance of the Microverse".

A Little More About Me

Alongside my interests in data and code some of my other interests and hobbies are:

  • Basketball (#nevernotballin), Beachvolleyball, Running
  • Gardening, highly automated ;)
  • Skateboarding
  • Music
  • Photography