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About

Nik Dawson

I build AI systems that help organisations understand how work is changing and what to do about it.

As Director of Data Science at the Burning Glass Institute, I lead development of products that combine machine learning models, knowledge graphs, and optimisation algorithms with real-time labour market data. The goal: help companies and governments make better workforce decisions.

My research has been at the intersection of labour economics and data science. I have a PhD in Computer Science where I applied machine learning to labour market dynamics — studying how people move between jobs, where skills shortages emerge, and how AI adoption ripples through industries. That work has appeared in peer-reviewed journals and policy outlets, including collaborations with the OECD and United Nations.

Before this, I've worked across AI startups, impact investing, and applied research. The thread connecting it all: I'm interested in how technology reshapes economic opportunity and how we can steer that toward better outcomes.

Education

PhD, Computer Science

University of Technology Sydney

BA, Economics

Macquarie University

Current

Director of Data Science

Burning Glass Institute

Building AI products for workforce intelligence using LLMs, knowledge graphs, and labour market data.

Collaborations

United Nations OECD Burning Glass Institute Social Ventures Australia