Dr. Jeremy Rigney · Dublin, Ireland
From stellar physics to production AI
Senior Data Scientist · AI R&D · Astrophysicist
I build data pipelines and models that turn complex, large-scale datasets into clear decisions, drawing on a PhD spent observing the stars with some of the world’s most advanced telescopes.
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01 / What I do
From terabyte-scale telescope data to enterprise AI.
As a Senior Data Scientist at Optum, part of UnitedHealth Group, I develop enterprise AI for a regulated healthcare environment. My work spans agentic workflows, tool use and large-scale data processing, where the ability to trace and audit system behaviour matters alongside reliability and low latency.
That engineering approach builds on my PhD in astrophysics from Queen’s University Belfast. Studying the Sun and other stars meant designing and running analysis pipelines end to end on terabytes of telescope data, with careful attention to the evidence behind each result.
I’ve led collaborative projects spanning multiple continents, worked in Agile software teams, and published peer-reviewed research. I’m also an experienced science communicator who has represented Ireland and won awards for public engagement.
- A
Large-scale data pipelines in Python
- B
High-performance & scientific computing
- C
Time-series & statistical analysis
- D
AI research & development
- E
Science communication & public speaking
02 / Selected work
A few places my work lives.
- Next Circuit The next track on the Formula 1 calendar, tilted into 3D on scroll with its elevation lifted out of the terrain. Then the turns, DRS zones and race history.
- The Sun, Interrupted A scroll-story of Ireland’s 12 August 2026 solar eclipse: the timing, the coverage, and the path of totality that ran across Iceland and Spain.
- The galaxy, up close The spiral from the top of this page, bigger and in more detail: turn it to any angle, zoom in, and watch its stars stream through the arms.
- Solar & sky dashboard Live solar flare activity, lunar phase, transit positions and observing conditions.
- PhD & publications Observational astrophysics, space-weather monitoring and peer-reviewed research.
- Public speaking Conference talks, festivals and public events. Award-winning science communication.
- Projects on GitHub Code and experiments from research and personal projects.
03 / Experience & education
Where it was built.
Optum
Senior Data Scientist. AI R&D and production deployment: agentic pipelines and production ML models.
LexisNexis Risk Solutions
Data Scientist. Vehicle risk models and analytics.
Queen’s University Belfast
PhD, School of Mathematics and Physics. Observational astrophysics.
University College Dublin
BSc (Hons) in Physics with Astronomy & Space Science.
04 / Get in touch
Get in touch.
For speaking invitations, data projects or research collaborations, send me a message.
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Location
Dublin • Ireland
- Elsewhere
- Talks