Laurent Smeets

Utrecht University

Yenching Academy of Peking University

Leiden University

McGill University

Data Scientist

I am placed as an 2019-2021 ODI Fellow. I assist in modernizing and digitizing the collection, calculation, quality assurance, and dissemination of price statistics (predominantly consumer inflation). This work requires both project management skills and technicalskills for the translation of legacy code systems to R and Python and to create a Reproducible Analytical Pipeline(RAP) for the monthly CPI statistics. For Ghana’s 2021 Population and Housing Census, I am creating fuzzy matching algorithms and machine learning techniques to match data from the main census to data collected in the post-enumeration survey, as well as to estimate coverage errors of the census. This matching task consists of an automated matching stage, implemented in R, and a Computer Assisted Manual Matching Stage in the form of an R shiny application. Within the Sustainable Development Goals Secretariat of the GSS, I advise on projects related to the use of citizen-generated data, satellite data, and other data science solutions to fill data gaps on gender-based violence, solid waste management, deforestation, and access to public transport.Finally, I assist and train various departments within the GSS on how to use open-source and free software solutions (R, Python, and certain JavaScript libraries), to transition GSS away from proprietary software. This enables GSS to reduce the turnaround time of data analysis and to produce high-quality data visualizations both in print and interactive ones for the web.

Research Intern

As a Research Intern I worked on automatic transport mode classification from GPS data, using machine learning. I was responsible for the feature engineering and machine learning prediction models. These data are collected as part of a pilot study by CBS to see if the traditional diary based transport survey can be automated by logging the location estimates of respondents' smartphone. More information on the project can be found here and the used code is available on my GitHub page.

Research Assistant

As a research assistant, I developed over twenty tutorial and online teaching material on Bayesian analyses for prof Rens van der Schoot. I also authored the online materials for a book on multilevel modelling . Furthermore, I organized the biweekly MSDSlab meetings on big data analysis and methods. Finally, I assisted in writing and optimizing code to analyse data for a Utrecht University Hospital’s (UMC) project that uses virtual reality glasses to better predict complications of stroke patients.

Teaching Assistant

As a teaching assistant, I organised undergraduate courses in statistics and assisted in summer schools in Introduction to Multilevel Analysis, Advanced Multilevel Analysis, A Gentle Introduction to Bayesian Statistics, and Bayesian Structural Equation Modelling.

Think Tank Member

At Denkkracht Utrecht, 24 other selected young professionals from different backgrounds and areas of expertise and I gathered monthly to help organizations in and around the city of Utrecht with solving their societal questions.

Intern

Writing a report on the business climate in Rwanda and working on private sector development and analysing investment opportunities for Dutch companies in Rwanda.

Participant

As a participant, of the Netherlands-Asia Honours Summer School (NAHSS), I completed courses at Fudan University, Shanghai and conducted research for the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs on the Belt and Road initiative.

Student Assistant

Assisting the university in designing a strategy to attract more students from Delft University to the Leiden Leadership Programme