5 Questions for à Élodie Hutin Data Scientist Consultant at Avisia

2026-01-09 16:25:00

2026-09-01 16:50:02

2026-09-01 16:30:35

Mana Hosokawa

Discover, through five questions and answers, the academic and professional journey of Élodie Hutin, a TIDE Master’s alumna.1. What is your educational background? In 2019, after graduating from high school, I went straight to Université Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne, where I enrolled in a Bachelor’s degree in MIASHS, which I completed over three years at the Tolbiac campus. From the second year onwards, students in the MIASHS programme have to choose a specialisation: I initially chose demography, before switching to economics in my third year.I did not do an internship during my Bachelor’s degree, as it was not compulsory and I was already quite busy with my student jobs. I worked at McDonald’s from my first to my final year. At the same time, I also worked at ORIVE (the Observatory of Academic Results, Graduate Employment and Student Life) at Université Paris 1 throughout my Bachelor’s degree. I was involved in conducting surveys, including telephone interviews, processing and analysing written questionnaires, etc. I was also a student ambassador for the SCUIO, which involved attending forums and open days, where I represented Université Paris 1 to the public and partner organisations.Between my final year of my Bachelor’s degree and my first year of my Master’s, I worked on administrative enrolment at DEVE (the Department of Studies and Student Life). Throughout the summer, we assisted the teams in reviewing and validating enrolment applications from all Paris 1 students. I also worked as a course tutor and exam invigilator.I then went on to complete a first year of a Master’s degree in Econometrics and Statistics, still at Paris 1, at the Maison des Sciences Économiques near Place d’Italie. For the second year of the Master’s, I had to choose between two programmes: TIDE (Information Processing and Data Science in Business) and MOSEF (Economic and Financial Statistical Modelling). I chose the TIDE programme, based at Tolbiac, because it places greater emphasis on mathematics and research than the MOSEF programme.It was during my second year of the Master’s that I completed a work-study programme at Engie, where I worked for 14 months, from September 2023 to November 2024, as a Data Scientist. I was part of Engie France Retail, the entity responsible for selling electricity and gas to individual customers, within the Finance Department, which is notably responsible for setting prices and margins on subscriptions and consumption.My main task was to develop a churn model, also known as a customer attrition model — in other words, a model designed to predict customer disengagement. The goal was to estimate the probability that a customer would cancel their subscription in order to forecast our customers’ overall consumption. Since the offers do not involve a minimum commitment period, customers can cancel at any time. This work-study placement was fully aligned with my Master’s degree in Data Science, as I was able to work on every stage of a project: data extraction, cleaning, processing and analysis, through to the development and implementation of a forecasting model. After passing my exams, submitting my projects and defending my work-study dissertation, I officially graduated with my Master’s degree in November 2024.2. What memories do you have of Paris 1?I mainly remember Tolbiac, as I did not really have classes at the other campuses. Overall, I have very fond memories of my time there and really enjoyed experiencing university life. Since I was studying for a Bachelor’s and a Master’s with relatively small cohorts, I appreciated the close-knit atmosphere and the fact that I felt less anonymous in class. We all knew each other. That was a pleasant surprise, as I had expected there to be more distance between students and professors.I did, however, spend a year and a half studying during the Covid period at the beginning of my studies, a time when I was not really able to experience university life in the way I would have liked. It was quite difficult, between the strikes (transport strikes, student strikes, etc.) and then the lockdowns. But despite this unusual context, I have very positive memories of Tolbiac. I think working for the university contributed greatly to that. I held at least five different positions, which created a rather special connection with the university: I felt active and involved.It was a time when it was easy to feel isolated, and the university provided the environment I was looking for: connections, interaction and a sense of community. I was able to meet people from very different programmes, with diverse backgrounds and experiences. In Maths-Computer Science, we were somewhat the exception among the humanities programmes based at PMF. These small jobs for the university allowed me to meet people I probably would never have encountered otherwise.I also saw the university evolve positively, particularly thanks to the renovation work that was carried out. And over the years, I felt increasingly supported as I progressed through my studies. We were never left on our own. Overall, I have very fond memories of those years.And I have to say a word about the CROUS cookies. Honestly, they are the best cookies I have ever tasted. They often cheered me up, especially on the evenings when I finished late.3. What is your current position?I am a Data Scientist consultant at Avisia, a consulting firm specialising in Data, AI & Digital. I have been working there on a permanent contract since March 2025. I finished my work-study placement in November 2024 and then continued with fixed-term assignments for a few months.Avisia works with a wide range of clients, both in terms of company size and industry, including Société Générale, Club Med, Manutan, etc.My role is to support them in developing a variety of data projects. This can involve analysing data to better understand the business, creating forecasting models, or automating tasks to make teams’ work easier. The objectives vary depending on the company and the team I join. Assignments generally last between six months and a year; I am currently two months into my first assignment.Unlike many of my classmates, I have not specialised in finance or insurance. Although I am aware that these are among the highest-paying fields, they are not necessarily what interests me. For now, I prefer to explore different industries, such as cosmetics, energy, heavy industry, retail, aerospace, etc.I am taking advantage of being a Junior to explore as much as possible, identify what I enjoy and what I enjoy less, and discover the different types of roles and teams I get to work with. Teams can be highly technical and data-focused, or, on the contrary, very business-oriented, with no specific data specialisation. Depending on the team and environment, I can wear completely different hats. This allows me to develop skills across the board, so that in the future I might potentially work independently or contribute to larger, more ambitious projects. That is one of the advantages of being a consultant: you benefit from great mobility, a wide variety of assignments and broader networking opportunities. This is the strategy I have chosen to build my career.4. How did you find your job?I found this job thanks to an alumna from my Master’s programme. Every Thursday afternoon, we had meetings with professionals from a variety of fields. One Thursday, several consulting firms came to introduce themselves and potentially look for future junior employees. One of the representatives from Avisia was an alumna of the TIDE Master’s programme, Elodie Perron, and we immediately had a great connection. I was very interested in their presentation, and she then took the time to talk to me and offer me some advice. So, when I started looking for a job at the end of my work-study placement, I sent her a message, and she put me in touch with HR. After going through the various interviews and technical tests, I got the job! It was thanks to that presentation during class and to her contact that I was able to get my first interview.In conclusion, networking can start early! And it can be particularly effective when you come from the same academic background. Having graduated from the same Master’s programme, Elodie had a concrete understanding of the knowledge and skills of the students she was meeting.5. And finally, a more personal question: what is your favourite book?Since I work in Data Science, my real bedside book is my computer! It is always by my side: I am constantly immersed in the world of IT, and I always have something to do.But if I had to name a book, it would be a novel by an author I absolutely love: Bernard Minier. He is a French writer specialising in crime novels and psychological thrillers. He has written a series of books featuring the investigations of a recurring character. In fact, the latest instalment has just been released, and I am completely hooked!Of all his books, there is one I particularly loved: M, le bord de l’abîme. The plot combines artificial intelligence and a police investigation. Published in 2019, it does a very good job of illustrating the concerns that non-specialists may have about AI and chatbots.It is both an optimistic novel, exploring the future of technology and human intelligence, and a pessimistic one, focusing on the harmful ways humans may use this technology. It raises fascinating and essential questions, particularly about AI ethics.For me, it is the perfect combination of two worlds I love: artificial intelligence, one of my passions, and crime fiction. It is the book I always recommend to new people I meet… and so far, everyone has loved it!Thank you to Élodie for answering Alumni’s questions!

https://alumni.pantheonsorbonne.fr/medias/image/thumbnail_17752409586a32767c20b53.png