Dr. Paul McLachlan is Head of Data Science (San Francisco) and Principal Data Scientist at Ericsson’s Global Artificial Intelligence Accelerator. At Ericsson, he develops new 5G technology that will empower the next generation of interactive mobile content, with a particular focus on digital advertising, extended reality, and virtual reality. At his AI team at Ericsson, he designs architecture to harness the power of 5G networking and edge computing, with the aim of protecting users’ privacy while enabling greater personalization and interactivity.

Paul is also a member of Ericsson’s data monetization and exposure working groups, which provide Ericsson’s board of directors with expert opinions and technology briefs on the latest developments and opportunities in the data science and AI ecosystems. In addition to delivering new product lines, giving presentations, and teaching courses, he serves as an innovation ambassador for Ericsson’s internal incubator. In this role, he coaches teams to help them translate their ideas into successful businesses and improve their go-to-market strategies. Numerous startups and nonprofits, both in the San Francisco Bay Area and abroad, have formally invited Paul to serve as a mentor or advisor.

Prior to his current role at Ericsson, Paul was Director of Data Science at Ericsson Emodo, which focuses on applying mobile operator data to digital advertising. Before joining the telecommunications world, he was Director of Data Science and Artificial Intelligence practice lead at Epsilon, which was recently acquired by Publicis Groupe for $4 billion. At Epsilon, he led development of AI applied to marketing data. Before entering the corporate world, he was a member of the data science faculty at Emory University.

Reflecting his wide-ranging interests, Paul has published in multiple academic disciplines and has multiple patents pending. He earned his PhD from the University of California, San Diego.