From Apple to AI leadership, the success story of Dr. Puja Das

Photo courtesy of Dr. Puja Das

Opinions expressed by Digital Journal contributors are their own.

Dr. Puja Das is an expert in Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML) technology with extensive experience in creating large-scale recommendation systems across apps, games, books, music and video streaming. For over a decade, she has immersed herself in creating personalized experiences to resonate with users around the world. In her work, she has learned to combine engineering and applied research with machine learning while navigating challenges along the way.

Career and educational success

In a field where women are often underrepresented, Dr. Das has found great success after earning a Bachelor’s degree in Information Technology, a Master’s degree in Computer Science, and a PhD in Machine Learning, where she earned the prestigious IBM PhD Fellowship award. Her career began as an Applied Research Scientist at Apple, where she leveraged her knowledge of machine learning to personalize user experiences across the Apple Music, Apple Books, App Store and Apple Arcade platforms. She has spearheaded the launch of many successful initiatives within Apple and played a key role in organizing machine learning summits within Apple, to foster collaboration.

After her work at Apple, Dr. Das led a team in creating a machine learning-based advertisement recommendation system for Twitter (now X), pushing her outside of her comfort zone as she managed both engineering and Machine Learning Applied Research teams. After Twitter, Dr. Das took on the position of Head of Search and Personalization at Warner Bros. Discovery, overseeing the customer viewing experiences on Max, Discovery, HBO, and other offerings. Her team specializes in personalizing the user experience using complex AI/ML algorithms under the hood. 

Dr. Das and her team played a key role in launching WBD’s Max as a streaming platform globally. While creating industry impact and redefining the user experience through personalization, she also continues to maintain her research presence by publishing and peer reviewing for international conferences and journals in her field. This balance between practical application and scholarly work showcases her commitment to advancing both the industry and her field of study.

Challenges and changing narratives

For all her success, Dr. Das’s career has not been without challenges. In her experience, she found that there was a scarcity of role models in her field, particularly women and minority leaders in machine learning. 

“I’ve made it a personal goal,” says Dr. Das, “to contribute to changing the narrative around women and minorities in machine learning. I engage in outreach efforts, including speaking at conferences, participating in panels, and mentoring aspiring technologists. By sharing my journey and the lessons I’ve learned along the way, I hope to inspire a new generation of leaders who can see themselves reflected in the roles they aspire to hold.”

Through her work and representation, Dr. Das is overcoming this challenge in her field. This effort has fueled her desire to establish an inclusive and diverse environment in the tech industry, opening avenues for new ideas and innovations and allowing unexplored perspectives to change the landscape. Furthermore, Dr. Das has bridged gaps between data scientists and industry stakeholders, merging the worlds of academia and practicality to create workable, forward-thinking solutions.

Making an impact in her field

Patience and persistence have been driving factors behind Dr. Das’s success, attributes whose value she hopes to impart to others. Hers is a journey between academic insight and practical applications, completed only through continuous research, adaptability, and an understanding of the implementation of new technologies. Her knowledge as a leader in AI and ML technologies has impacted large corporations and served to inspire the next generation of women in her field. 

Looking to the future

Moving forward, Dr. Das hopes to become more involved in AI’s expanding reach across technology, arts, and healthcare, leveraging her extensive expertise to launch her own venture into the field.