A PhD data scientist teaching applied problem-solving, not just h

Ragnar L.

I'm Ragnar. I hold a PhD in Computer Science, specializing in Data Science and Machine Learning. I have 20 years of professional experience applying algorithms, statistics, and AI/ML methods in real-world settings, including model development, data analysis, and production-level code. In industry, I routinely improve existing codebases (in Python & SQL) — refactoring messy or inefficient scripts into clean, elegant, readable solutions. This is a skill I teach explicitly, because writing code that merely works is different from writing code that is good.

I have mentored college students, young professionals, and adult learners in programming, math fundamentals, and machine learning concepts. I help students not only complete assignments, but also understand why code works, how to structure it clearly, and how to think like an engineer rather than just follow tutorials. My teaching style focuses on clarity, intuition-building, and step-by-step problem solving.

In tutoring, I break down complex topics into understandable components and guide students through hands-on practice. We debug together, rewrite messy code into readable form, improve efficiency, and build confidence through repetition and real examples. I have supported learners through classes, personal projects, job interview preparation, and skill development for data/AI roles.

I’ve taught in one-on-one and small group contexts, helping students close knowledge gaps quickly. My goal is to help learners move from “it runs, but I don’t know why” to structured, elegant, scalable code and solid conceptual understanding.