Mariana Martins Proves That Data Science is Also for Artists

Starting out in her career, Mariana Martins didn’t see many examples of data scientists like her, let alone leaders. So, when she was invited to speak at the Lesbians Who Tech conference in June 2022, she was excited for the chance to be that example for others. Martins is a senior director of marketing analytics at Audible, working to strategize effective ways to reach new listeners. This may not sound like the most obvious job for someone with a PhD in public health and a dual bachelor’s degree in art and psychology, but Martins thrives in this role because of her blended background and skillset.

“You’d be surprised,” Martins explains. “A lot of data analytics work has a strong technical component but also a strong people component.” Since data can be interpreted many different ways, it’s critical to account for biases that could affect the reliability of results. “There are a lot of ‘truths’—people are working on different assumptions,” she says. When understanding those assumptions, a background in art and psychology “helps me lead with empathy and come to the table with more openness.”

“I have the coolest job at Audible,” Martins laughs. “My team is asked to innovate ways to think about how awareness marketing drives value.” For example, she points to a brand’s decision to run either a YouTube or TV ad. “How do we know which one actually works? It’s a surprisingly hard-to-define answer.” This is because so many other things are happening in the world, so much random noise, it’s hard to be sure whether a particular marketing campaign is working, and why. Martins’ team works closely with marketers to evaluate the outcomes, using data science models to determine effectiveness. This helps our marketers find the best ways to reach new Audible listeners.

Since Audible works at the intersection of art and technology, our employees have a unique chance to explore career paths that traverse both disciplines, often mixing them in innovative ways. Martins’ artistic life is very much a part of her work—while she paints, plays music, spins yarn, and works on her loom, she’s approaching problems from other angles. “If you can set the problem aside temporarily, it can morph,” she explains.

But how did an artist interested in psychology decide to go into data science in the first place? “I’ve had a very nonlinear career,” Martins acknowledges. In her undergraduate work, she was researching the reliability of memories when she realized she loved statistics to describe human behavior in the context of psychology. Inspired by her mother, who has a PhD in astrophysics, Martins went on to pursue a PhD in public health, which took her further into data and interpretation, using statistics modeling to study the impact of environmental and psychological factors affecting women’s health.

After five years as a management consultant, Martins came to Audible’s data analytics team and found the perfect intersection of her interests and experiences. “I was seeing new ways to use the technical skills I had built during my PhD, combining statistics with my knowledge of business and marketing.” Andy Tsao, Audible’s Chief Product and Analytics Officer, approached Martins about creating her own team, one that would push the boundaries of marketing science and measurement.

Audible is intentional about ensuring people from across the spectrum are represented in leadership positions—representation is a value inscribed in our People Principles—and Martins helps with these efforts, championing our “Spectrum and Belonging” approach to hiring for our product and insights teams. Naturally, she brought this same inclusive approach to creating her own team, seeking out people who would bring unique ways of thinking and a range of skillsets. Among the four members of her team, there’s one with seven years of experience and one fresh from graduate school. “I try to create a sense of equity and not just defer to the team members with the most experience,” she says. “There are statisticians, a business intelligence engineer, a strategist. All of us work together like a chain.”

The team is close-knit, sharing pictures of their half marathons, pets, and projects, and enjoys activities together like chocolate-tasting and game nights, all in service of fostering respect, trust, and harmony. Community is important to Martins, who is part of several impact groups at Audible. “I’m in WiT; Women@; Pride; and I’m part of UNIDOS, as a first-gen immigrant from Brazil. I’m very into bringing my full self to work, and I encourage my team to do same,” Martins says.

Martins points to several reasons why Audible is uniquely exciting for anyone interested in data science. For one thing, her team is able to test on a uniquely global scale. “We leverage many methodologies in our work, but one of the most exciting ones is geo hold out testing. This is where we run an experiment across an entire country, A/B testing different marketing campaigns in different regions.” She adds, “Setting up one of these tests requires innovative thinking as well as careful planning and collaboration with marketers. I haven’t seen experimentation done to this scale at any other company.”

She also credits Audible’s data science and insights leadership and team as having an “anything is possible” attitude. “I have a lot of latitude to be entrepreneurial and innovative in my work, to take valuable risks and try out new things,” Martins says. “In the insights space, there’s no ‘more of the same’—there’s only testing and failing and coming back and trying again. Audible is a safe place to do that. It allows me to bring the best parts of myself.”

Mariana Martins’ Favorite 2023 Listens

• Embassytown by China Mieville: An alien race has a unique language that requires two people to speak at the same time. There are unintended consequences of humans trying to speak the language, which puts a planet in peril. The nature of the aliens' language means the audio version adds something above and beyond reading it in print.
• Lakewood by Megan Giddings: A fictionalized story about the (very real) history of medical testing on Black people in the US. Deals with some heavy issues, like how far you’re willing to sacrifice your own body for others, and sometimes-hidden family histories of trauma.
• Fever Dream by Samantha Schweblin: Very surreal and very short listen follows the memories of a woman who is currently dying and having a fever dream. I liked how off-kilter this listen made me feel, and it was among the more experiential titles I have listened to (really felt like I was there). It’s beautifully written and well-narrated!