University of Delaware alumnus Chandra Narayanan, director of analytics at Facebook, will discuss his journey from studying oceans to building data-driven products in an invited lecture on Thursday, Feb. 9.

Hosted by the College of Earth, Ocean, and Environment (CEOE), the event will take place at 2:30 p.m. at Mitchell Hall on the University of Delaware campus in Newark.

Mohsen Badiey, CEOE acting dean, will welcome and introduce Narayanan, who earned his doctoral degree in oceanography at UD in 1999. A question and answer session will follow the lecture.

The event is free and open to the public, and students are encouraged to attend. However, pre-registration is requested for planning purposes. To register, click here.

“Dr. Narayanan’s presence on campus is an opportunity for students to peek behind the curtain of social media analytics and hear from a fellow Blue Hen and leader in this exciting and growing field,” said Badiey.

“Students will benefit from hearing about Dr. Narayanan’s journey as an alumnus of the College of Earth, Ocean, and Environment, and the value of the interdisciplinary education that is critical in today’s job market.”

A known innovator who applies advanced data tools on multiple platforms to solve complex business, scientific and technological problems, Narayanan will discuss his UD experience and the impact that education and training has had on his career.

He also will share insights into the key skills and talents that are needed in the thriving high technology, data science and market strategy fields, as well as information about current employment opportunities at Facebook.

Narayanan is currently head of analytics for Core App and Instagram at Facebook. He previously was a manager in risk management at PayPal.