With a doctorate in astrophysics, Senior Data Scientist Chris Johnson has spent a lot of time looking up at the stars. Before he joined Booz Allen, he analyzed large data sets for the Hubble Space Telescope and Chandra X-ray Observatory.
Now Chris is focusing his passion for data science on more earthly pursuits: public health data sets. He is the lead developer for Booz Allen’s COVID-19 Vaccination Workforce Simulator.
Health departments can use this user-friendly online tool to figure out how many clinical and clerical workers they’ll need to staff vaccination sites based on vaccine distribution and availability. It’s one of many solutions we’ve developed to help aid in pandemic response efforts.
While it might seem like a giant leap from astrophysics to life sciences, the transition was quite natural for Chris. “Data sets change based on the subject matter,” he says. “But the core data science techniques, like modeling, coding, and statistical analysis? They stay the same.”
We recently sat down with Chris to learn more about his role in building the simulator—and how he’s making a difference in the COVID-19 public health response.