Nipun Surana wins Consumer Data Research Centre prize
Nipun Surana, a Data Science and Analytics MSc student at the University of Leeds, has won third prize in the Consumer Data Research Centre (CDRC) masters dissertation scheme 2023.
The CDRC scheme provides the chance for Masters students to work directly with industry partners on their dissertation project, and link academic research to important retail and open data sources. This enables students to gain experience analysing large, commercial datasets to solve real problems with guidance from industry experts.
Nipun collaborated with Barbour ABI for his dissertation: Analysing Output and New Orders Time Lags in the Construction Industry with Gated Recurrent Units. Using data provided by Barbour ABI and the Office for National Statistics, Nipun analysed the success of the Governments’ levelling up policy, focusing on the construction industry.
As one of three winners, he had the opportunity to present his research at the CDRC academic conference, hosted at the Saïd Business School, University of Oxford.
Reflecting on his success, Nipun said: “I owe immense gratitude to the University of Leeds and my brilliant course leader, Dr. Luisa Cutillo, for providing me with the opportunity to participate in the prestigious Master's Dissertation Scheme hosted by CDRC.”
“I also wish to extend my sincere thanks to Barbour ABI, especially Steve Shelley, Chief Economic Analyst, for the guidance and opportunity to collaborate on such an insightful project.”
He added: “This was a journey filled with challenges that pushed me to think critically, learnings that built my skills, and breakthroughs that brought valuable insights. The project enabled me to think innovatively and apply the analytical, statistical, and programming skills acquired during my Master's in Data Science and Analytics at the University of Leeds.”
“It was incredibly rewarding to tackle a real-world business challenge by leveraging advanced Deep Learning techniques. I am grateful to everyone who contributed to making this achievement possible!”
The project enabled me to think innovatively and apply the analytical, statistical, and programming skills acquired during my Master's in Data Science and Analytics
Find out more about studying Data Science and Analytics MSc at Leeds.
