Nurturing plants & innovation with Aparna, ML Engineer at A.P Moller – Maersk

Hi, I’m Aparna, a Machine Learning (ML) Engineer at APMT Tech Bangalore, part of A.P. Moller-Maersk. Here’s how a day at work looks like for me:

How I start my day:

The sound of my 5 am alarm gently nudges me awake, signalling the beginning of a new day. My day begins with the lush greenery of my home adorned with an array of plants. I take a moment to appreciate the calmness it brings. While sipping my morning coffee, I make a mental note of the plants that need a bit more TLC. As a plant enthusiast, this ritual is almost meditative, setting a positive tone for the day ahead.

Being a mom of two, the early start affords me a quiet moment before the day's hustle begins. My morning routine revolves around getting my son ready for school and preparing a swift breakfast. By 7:30 am, he's off, the nanny steps in for my little one, and I shift gears into work mode by 9 am. I enjoy the flexibility of hybrid working, allowing me to visit the office once a week. On these days, I make it a point to ensure everything is well-organized for the kids before stepping out.

Commute and Arrival:

Once a week, as I drive to the Bangalore office, my journey to work is a blend of navigating heavy traffic and an anticipatory excitement of meeting colleagues after an entire week. Upon arrival, I settle in with a cup of coffee and exchange morning greetings with my colleagues. These weekly in-person interactions are special as we catch up on each other’s lives adding a personal touch to our professional relationships.

Regular Meetings:

Working from Bangalore, India, I bridge the geographical gap with my Copenhagen-based team through virtual meetings. The start of my workday is occupied with catching up on emails and messages, dedicating my morning to focused tasks and project updates. For my tech-heavy meetings, collaboration with development partners becomes essential. We rely on JIRA, an organisational tool which helps streamline project management, ensuring alignment with my global team.

In my current project which focuses on discrete event simulation, I handle everything from sorting out data to implementing algorithms. To explain simply - by carefully planning each day's activities at the port, we can simulate and program the day-to-day operations. It's all about strategically coordinating tasks like cargo handling and vessel scheduling to optimize efficiency. This requires the entire team to collaborate consistently. I am in constant touch with both technical and non-technical colleagues and we’re able to foster innovation through some very interesting brainstorming sessions.

With a background in academia and holding a PhD in Computer Science-Machine Learning, my role as an ML engineer gets a boost from delving deep into research and problem-solving. This academic perspective allows me to bring something extra to the table and contribute to cutting-edge projects.

How a typical afternoon looks like in my day:

I break for lunch at noon and when I’m at the office, this gives me a chance to connect with my colleagues over shared meals. We also sometimes take a brief stroll around the office premises.

I usually have my one-on-one meeting with my manager post lunch. During these discussions, we cover various aspects of my professional life – from career development to addressing challenges and seeking guidance. These meetings provide a platform allowing me to express my concerns, receive constructive feedback, and have an open conversation on maintaining a healthy work-life balance.