My other life: Sean O’Regan, Scope Technologies, botany and zoology

When did your interest in zoology and botany start?

When I was six years old. I always wanted to be a veterinary game ranger. I was fascinated and inspired by zoologists like Mark Carwardine and Dian Fossey, as well as a desire to work without restriction in the wilderness. I was introduced to the world of biological research, which lead me to study in the fields of zoology and botany.

How did you build up your skills?

I’ve developed my skills from working as a content writer for an internet wildlife broadcasting company called Afri Cam during the 2000 tech bubble, to a software team leader in an advertising agency.

What have been the highlights so far?

My studies were guided and moulded by extraordinary lecturers and my interests spanned from microbiology to ecosystem dynamics. My research projects ranged from studying seaweed on the rocky shores of Southern Africa, to characterising the population genetics of noxious weeds. I finally spent two years doing research into the effects of fire on the vegetation in the Kruger National Park, where I got to walk out daily into one of the greatest wilderness parks in Southern Africa.

Any crossover between zoology and your insurance day job?

Analytics and data science. They are both fundamental to the evolution of insurers across the globe. The one thing I could not get enough of during my studies was analysing data. At Scope I’ve been fortunate enough to lead some futuristic analytical exercises, including accident modelling for insurance claims processing, and road risk modelling for insurance risk assessment and for smart city models.

Any upcoming zoology or botany projects?

I’ve often toyed with the idea of doing a PhD, combining my formal studies with my subsequent working experiences. Something like satellite tracking of animal migration patterns, or getting stuck into seriously big data sets.