Nicholas Stewart, Ph.D.

Experience

• 

  Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection

  Feb 2012 - Jan 2013

  Geologist

  • Directly managed over 75 underground storage tank owners and operators by enforcing the PA State laws regarding the prevention and clean-up of petroleum-contaminated releases to the soil and/or groundwater resulting in relinquishing the greatest potential threat to community drinking aquifers• Saved taxpayers over $100,000 by delineating the extent of the contamination utilizing hydrogeologic methods and ensuring expedited remediation of petroleum releases, preventing further contamination and greater costs• Reduced backlog of unresolved cases for the previous 20 years by over 75% in 1-year through assessment of environmental remediation reports and PA state regulations Show less

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  Hawaiian Volcano Observatory - USGS

  Jan 2013 - Jun 2013

  Gas Geochemistry Intern

  • Efficaciously generated a standardized methodology for collecting and evaluating daily sulfur dioxide and other gas emission rates from the actively degassing volcanic plume of Kilauea Volcano using an FTIR spectrometer and the DOAS technique resulting in a robust technique for analyzing volcanic activity fluctuations• Organized monthly community outreach programs to keep inhabitants informed of volcanic threats (~35 attendees/session) enabling enhanced communication and collaboration with local authorities Show less

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  Michigan Technological University

  Sept 2013 - Apr 2015

  Research Scientist

  • Implemented a new automated methodology for volcanic eruption detection in Indonesia through integration and processing of satellite-based infrared and UV data in MATLAB resulting in an Open Source near-real time volcanic eruption detection system, HOTVOLC, and a publication• Expertly streamlined the automated process by developing an algorithm to reduce false detections by over 92% resulting in a more robust pipeline and ensuring the acquisition of over $75,000 in grant awards• Effectively communicated complex scientific results to a myriad of professionals and colleagues evidenced by several international conference presentations and the organization and teaching of several undergraduate courses consisting of 40-students/course Show less

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  Université Côte d’Azur

  Sept 2015 - Nov 2018

  Research Scientist (Project Manager) and Teaching Fellow

  • Produced new methodology in tectono-geomorphology by engineering a software package in MATLAB to analyze and measure the along-fault slip distribution of seismogenic faults resulting in Open Source software and a major publication in the Journal of Geophysical Research• Managed a 3.5 year multi-disciplinary award-winning research project from conception to final report resulting in the development of 4 international collaborations and realizing over $250,000 in grant awards• Strategically collected, processed and statistically analyzed the largest geospatial dataset in tectono-geomorphology by employing machine learning algorithms and data modeling resulting in a greater understanding of fundamental fault behavior, more robust hazard risk assessments, and an award-winning international conference presentation at the world’s largest Geosciences conference, AGU• Conducted weekly discussion sections and lab courses for 40 undergraduate students in scientific English and geological domains in French• Designed interactive course material to strengthen scientific English for French students• Constructed a grading rubric and organized exams for multiple student sections Show less

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  Surgo Ventures

  Oct 2019 - Jan 2023

  As a Senior Research Scientist at Surgo Foundation, I am involved in combining public health datasets with psycho-behavioral segmentation analyses to address complex health outcome problems. Surgo Foundation is an "action" tank seeking to answer the "why" behind preventable global development issues. As a Geospatial Research Scientist at Surgo Foundation, I am involved in combining data extracted from remote sensing instruments like satellite imagery with psycho-behavioral segmentation analyses to address complex health outcome problems. Surgo Foundation is an "action" tank seeking to answer the "why" behind preventable global development issues.

  • Senior Research Scientist

    Mar 2021 - Jan 2023

  • Research Scientist

    Oct 2019 - Mar 2021
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  Surgo Health

  Nov 2022 - now

  Senior Research Scientist

  • Lead GenAI Initiatives: Organized and hosted a company-wide GenAI Hackathon, leading to the creation of several client-facing features.• Advance Pharmaceutical Applications: Spearheaded GenAI integration, developing impactful use cases for top 15 pharmaceutical clients. Established infrastructure using AWS technology stack and leveraged disparate data assets to enhance scalability and innovation, significantly reducing the time needed for client processes from weeks to days.• Core Data Development: Directed a team of data scientists in building Surgo’s core data assets, crucial for powering B2B products and impacting the workflow of top pharmaceutical clients by improving decision-making and streamlining FDA-mandated diversity compliance.Surgo Health is a healthcare technology company whose mission is to personalize health to improve outcomes and reduce inequities. At Surgo Health, we believe having a complete understanding of what drives people’s behavior and how their context impacts them is critical to ensure every person lives a healthy life. 80% of healthcare outcomes are driven by behavioral, social, and contextual factors that shape people’s lives. Unless they’re measured and understood, they cannot be addressed – and that failure drives significant negative health outcomes, costs, and inequities for life-science companies, payors, and providers. At Surgo, we decode these factors using novel real-world data. We create the most comprehensive socio-behavioral profile of every individual. We combine this with state-of-the-art analytics to provide solutions for every person in every place. Show less