Sharon Ravindran (EngSci 1T5 + PEY)

A Career Journey Back to Biomedical Engineering

My career has been anything but straightforward. Today, I’m an Engineering Program Manager at Apple Health, where I lead projects at the intersection of data science, engineering, and health technology. But the path to this role wasn’t linear.

I started my career at CPPIB, one of Canada’s largest pension funds, where I developed quantitative models for long-term fund strategy and built out a data science team. From there, I transitioned to a data science role at a Bay Area startup, where I created data products and learned to thrive in fast-paced, high-growth environments. Each of these experiences added unique skills and perspectives, shaping the way I approach my work today.

In this talk, I’ll share how combining engineering, data science, and program management has shaped my career and enabled me to tackle complex problems. I’ll highlight projects like training large language models on financial data and conducting longitudinal analyses of fitness and movement at Apple Health, demonstrating how diverse experiences can lead to impactful and meaningful work. Whether your path is clear or still unfolding, I hope to show how unexpected turns can lead to incredible opportunities.

Speaker bio:

Sharon Ravindran is an Engineering Program Manager at Apple, where she supports the development of health features, empowering millions of users to better understand and manage their health.

Sharon’s journey to her current role is anything but conventional. After completing her degree in Engineering Science with a major in Biomedical Systems, she began her career as a quantitative analyst at CPP Investments, Canada’s largest pension fund. Over five years, she honed her analytical and technical skills before moving to the Bay Area to join a Series D startup as a data scientist, developing innovative solutions for life insurance.

In 2022, Sharon joined Apple, where she has contributed to various roles in the health space. Her work is driven by her passion for the intersection of health and technology, and she thrives on solving complex problems while embracing continuous learning.

See a study to which Sharon contributed.