Nishitha Dinesh

Data Scientist and analytics professional with an M.S. in Computer Science, skilled at both building production-grade AI/ML and GenAI systems and turning complex data into clear, actionable business insight. Strong in Python, SQL, machine learning, and data visualization (Power BI, Tableau), with a proven track record of owning solutions end-to-end and driving measurable impact.

Data Scientist at Ashley Furniture Industries (2025-11 – Present)

• Architected and build AIDA-Sketch, a hybrid visual search/retrieval system powering Ashley's GenAI based room vision app; sole-owner, shipped phase 0 to internal users with strong reception, subsequent phases now in development for customer rollout.
• Engineered dual-search architecture using weighted multi-field scoring and RRF with Azure AI.
• Led replacement-parts KPI improvements with quantity-based performance metrics; analyzed historical demand, recommended ratio-based measures, and deployed quantity-driven KPIs that improved forecasting accuracy and inventory decisions.
• Implemented graph data science algorithms for route optimization and analyzed customer order and replacement-parts trends to support an anomaly detection use case that flags and helps prevent parts abuse.
• Developed a cart-loading tracking solution in Ashley's warehouse using OpenCV to detect AprilTags mounted on carts; updated real-time cart location and status on an edge device by publishing MQTT status messages via Node-RED.
• Experimented with multimodal embedding architectures and vision-language models (vLLMs) to expand AIDA-Sketch capabilities beyond visual search/retrieval into sketch generation, improving semantic alignment between query inputs and retrieved assets

Data Science Analyst at Ashley Furniture Industries (2025-01 – 2025-11)

• Engineered a regression model in Databricks—leveraging demographic variables from Placer API and historical footfall data stored in the Enterprise Data Warehouse—which reduced forecasting error and guided cross-functional teams on relocating existing stores and siting new ones to maximize traffic.
• Utilized Databricks and AutoML to determine optimal parameters for a KMeans clustering algorithm, segmenting regions to recommend new manufacturing site locations; supplemented analysis with a Power BI dashboard visualizing global economic indicators (CPI, GDP, labor force) from FRED to support executive decision-making.
• Led supply-chain analytics by extracting order-level data for 460 SKUs over 53 weeks from the Enterprise Data Warehouse, performing demand forecasting, and safety-stock calculations; presented findings through interactive reports and actionable reorder recommendations to supply-chain leaders.
• Conducted product-segment analysis for Walmart expansion by integrating regional demographics from Placer with Python scripts and SQL-based aggregation tables to compute performance and opportunity scores; delivered interactive reports to merchandising teams to inform data-driven assortment strategies.

Strategy Data Analyst at Ashley Furniture Industries (2024-06 – 2025-01)

• Developed a Power BI dashboard to analyze operations across 100+ retail stores, identifying underperforming locations and improving weekly rankings.
• Conducted stocking and backorder analysis for 460 products using Power BI, uncovering weekly trends to optimize inventory levels.
• Aggregated and transformed nightly report data to visualize performance metrics for 120 retail stores, enabling real-time monitoring of operational health.
• Compiled a comprehensive risk assessment report to forecast budgetary impacts and store traffic for Integrated Business Planning (IBP).

Software Engineering Intern at DRDO (2021-10 – 2021-12)

• Contributed to the development of the ABHYAS flight program, reducing the development cycle time by 20%
• Integrated IBM DOORS, C++, and LDRA into project workflows, enhancing software reliability and compliance by 15%
• Collaborated with interdisciplinary teams to foster knowledge sharing and strengthen cross-functional cooperation.

Master of Science in Computer Science – University of North Carolina at Charlotte (2022-08 – 2023-12)

Bachelor of Engineering in Computer Science – Visvesvaraya Technological University (2018-08 – 2022-06)