
Hi, I'm Emily Hommerding
Senior Data Scientist
Greater Seattle Area
I'm an accomplished data scientist specializing in analytics and business intelligence, with strong critical-thinking skills and a determination to get to the bottom of tough problems. Passionate about facilitating collaboration across teams and stakeholders, while bringing a unique background to the table.
About Me

My career has taken a few interesting turns, moving from experimental physics researcher to software engineer to data scientist, and I wouldn't have it any other way. Each chapter has sharpened how I think, and today I bring that breadth to my work as a Senior Data Scientist at Microsoft, where I turn complex data into decisions that actually move the needle.
I'm genuinely passionate about data, not just the tools and pipelines, but the stories data tells and the problems it can solve. I love digging into a tough question until I find an answer that holds up, and I care deeply about making sure insights reach the people who need them in a way they can use.
Collaboration is at the core of how I work. I thrive in cross-functional environments and believe the best solutions come from bringing diverse perspectives to the table. I'm also committed to advancing marginalized groups in the workplace: I co-lead a women's group, have run allyship programs, and mentor through first-generation and low-income employee initiatives, because I believe a more equitable industry is a better one for everyone.
Outside of work, you'll find me at the gym lifting heavy things, cheering on my hockey team, or stress-testing a new baking recipe. I share my life with a wonderful boyfriend and one very opinionated cat who supervises everything I do.
Experience
Senior Data Scientist
December 2025 – PresentSenior Software Engineer
December 2023 – December 2025Microsoft, Redmond, WA
- •Delivered product insights using time series forecasting (including seasonality decomposition and anomaly detection), cohort/retention and funnel analysis, k-means clustering for user segmentation, and churn modeling, driving +4M monthly active users and +15pp growth in paid conversion.
- •Partnered with customer advisory teams to identify and prioritize growth opportunities, resulting in 100K new paid license activations.
- •Applied AI-assisted development tools (Claude Code, Power BI MCP Server) to streamline analytics workflows and reduce time-to-insight.
- •Led development of AI-first analytics solutions, including an internal data assistant (Power Apps, Microsoft Copilot Studio), AI-driven dashboarding, and automated planning workflows to scale self-service insights.
- •Authored and maintained 5+ high-impact Power BI dashboards, enabling executive decision-making and improving visibility into key product and business metrics.
- •Designed, built, and maintained 20+ production data pipelines using Scope, Azure Synapse, PySpark, and Azure Data Factory (ADF).
- •Eliminated 4B+ unnecessary telemetry records per day, reducing data processing costs and improving pipeline efficiency.
- •Served as Data Champion for an 800+ person organization, defining analytics strategy, leading office hours, and promoting data governance and best practices.
- •Led initiatives to advance inclusion and mentorship: launched a 35-person allyship program achieving 60%+ knowledge gains, built and led a 200+ member women’s professional development group, and mentored 6 first-generation college student interns over 4 years.
Software Engineer II / Software Engineer I
Microsoft, Redmond, WA
- •Contributed to data analytics and engineering initiatives supporting large-scale data pipeline infrastructure, including implementing GDPR-compliant data handling and privacy safeguards for 100+ pipelines.
- •Developed new functions in the Power Apps formula language (C#, TypeScript) and enhanced web functionality for Power Apps; served on a 24/7 on-call rotation to support production web services.
- •Partnered with Red Cross developers to rapidly build Power Apps solutions during the COVID-19 pandemic, accelerating service delivery.
- •Built a visual, interactive server health monitoring tool for Dynamics 365 telemetry using Unity, improving Azure services performance and CI/CD pipeline efficiency.
Laboratory Physicist
Research International, Monroe, WA
- •Sole developer of a patented Android application (Java, Android Studio) for a chemical/biological detection device, which shipped to international production in 2017 and is still in use today.
- •Applied computer vision (OpenCV) to automate image analysis of chemical test strips, replacing manual interpretation with reliable, repeatable software.
- •Designed and wrote firmware for a custom CPU microcontroller powering a battery monitoring circuit, implementing analog-to-digital conversion and USB/RS-232 communication protocols.
Education
Master of Science, Physics
University of Oregon, Eugene, OR
NSF Graduate Research Fellow. Research in quantum properties of nitrogen vacancy centers in diamond.
Bachelor of Science, Physics (Magna Cum Laude)
Illinois Institute of Technology, Chicago, IL
Research in Raman spectroscopy for superconducting RF cavities. Published in Physical Review Special Topics - Accelerators and Beams.
Certifications
- •Claude Code in Action
Patents
Publications
- Cao, C., Ford, D., Bishnoi, S., Proslier, T., Albee, B., Hommerding, E., Zasadzinski, J. F. (2013). Detection of surface carbon and hydrocarbons in hot spot regions of niobium superconducting RF cavities by Raman spectroscopy. Physical Review Special Topics - Accelerators and Beams, 16(6).
