MSc Geoinformation Technology and Cartography, University of Glasgow
Exposure Management Analyst at Lancashire, London
Living in the Western Ghats of India, I was always curious about the changing world around us. When I look back at my journey, I realise that every step has helped me connect the dots and make right decisions in my life and one of those best decisions was to study geoscience.
It is quite funny and sometimes difficult to answer when someone asks me where I am from. Due to my father’s service in the Indian Army, I had the opportunity to travel frequently. Born in a small village in the district of Kolhapur in India, I studied in different parts of India, worked in Mumbai and am now based in London.
After studying Geology during my undergraduate and master’s degrees in India, I recently graduated from the University of Glasgow with my second master’s degree. I was always excited about the idea of using Earth Observation and GIS technology to better understand the risk posed by natural and man-made hazards while working in the catastrophe modelling domain. My knowledge in this field was limited, so I wanted to delve into this deeper and apply the latest technologies to my work. Therefore, I decided to pursue a master’s degree in Geoinformation Technology & Cartography at the University of Glasgow. The course offered an in-depth understanding of geographical science and technical skills using the latest GIS and remote sensing software.
In my opinion, geoscience is quite an interesting subject which enables us to envision and experience the world around us. The favourite aspect of my study was learning by doing. The fieldwork and practical lab sessions allowed me to gain the required skills quite efficiently.
I am currently working as an Exposure Management Analyst at Lancashire. My role is based in the Reinsurance team in London and primarily focuses on modelling client’s exposure across worldwide regions to understand the financial impact of natural catastrophes on their portfolio. This is done through various scientific numerical models and heavily involves working with numbers.
The science behind natural catastrophes have always fascinated me, and studying Environmental Geology during my MSc in India sparked my interest in working in this field. This is an interdisciplinary role that requires knowledge of geoscience, statistics, and mathematics. Through my work in this field, I have gained the opportunity to collaborate with people from diverse backgrounds and apply science to business to help people solve major problems.
I use GIS and remote sensing techniques in my role, we often use ArcGIS and QGIS to visualise client exposure and prepare statistical maps. Remote sensing skills are helpful in analysing satellite imageries for post-event impact on a region of interest. This information is often used in event response and near real-time event monitoring.
In today’s world, technology is key. The insurance industry is vast and rapidly evolving. In addition to the science, it is imperative to learn programming languages such as R and Python so that time-consuming tasks can be automated in everyday work. When I first started learning a programming language, I was hesitant, but with practice I became more comfortable with it. Learning programming languages is also becoming ever more essential as machine learning and artificial intelligence are increasingly used worldwide.
I enjoy working with people from diverse cultures and backgrounds. As part of my job, I have the opportunity to interact with people based in Bermuda and London. Apart from the flexible working environment, the role offers working with the the Analytics Team, underwriters and modellers. Everyone has a different perspective on the same problem, and that is what makes this role so fascinating.
Students interested in studying geosciences or geography would be happy to know that geoscience is a vast subject with many specializations. It is going to be fun if you love nature, if you find earth’s phenomena interesting and feel a desire to learn more about them. Building professional skills along the study will be very helpful to kick start your career immediately after studies. Brush up your mathematics skills… and keep your mind open to integrate geography into real life scenarios…😊
I am always open and happy to discuss about my role and experience in detail. Please feel free to reach out on LinkedIn.