Achievements of this Wright State math grad really add up

“My career’s been pretty varied,” said Alex Gutman, Ph.D., ’07, ’09. He is, to wit: a director of data science, a college instructor, a published author, a book reviewer — all from originally wanting to be a math teacher.

Gutman is also a friend of Wright State University who returns to campus to share his professional experiences with science and math students.

Thanks to these and other endeavors, Gutman received the 2026 College of Science and Mathematics Outstanding Alumnus Award, which recognizes former Wright State students who have made exceptional contributions to their professions while giving back to their community.

Gutman is director of data science at the Procter & Gamble Company in Cincinnati, where he manages a team of data scientists.

“We work a lot in retail, how we price and promote P&G brands. We try to use artificial intelligence to advance the Procter & Gamble business,” said Gutman, who received a bachelor’s degree and a master’s degree in mathematics from Wright State. He added, “You can’t ignore what artificial intelligence is doing.”

“Another big focus of my career is trying to help teach others about data science and artificial intelligence to help them understand this complex technology that’s impacting our daily lives,” he said.

He is also an adjunct instructor at the University of Cincinnati Lindner College of Business and previously was an adjunct faculty member at the Air Force Institute of Technology, where he earned a Ph.D. in applied mathematics.

Alex Gutman used his Wright State education as a springboard to a career as a data scientist, college instructor, published author, book reviewer and mentor to young mathematicians.

He has co-authored the book “Becoming a Data Head: How to Think, Speak and Understand Data Science, Statistics and Machine Learning,” which has been published in six languages and is used in curricula worldwide to help people use data better. He also reviews technical books for two academic publishers, Wiley and CRC Press.

“Wright State has influenced my career in a number of ways,” Gutman said. “Obviously, with the educational support that I’ve had. And then the professional network — I’m still close with many of my professors that are there, and the connections that I made that eventually led me to successful internships, which led me to grad school, which led me to my current role.”

Gutman followed his brother to Wright State, drawn by its affordability and proximity to home.

“It was a good place to grow and really challenge myself,” he said.

He also competed on Wright State’s cross country team, earning the university’s Male Scholar-Athlete of the Year Award three times.

“I have many fond memories of meets and traveling to different states with my teammates,” he said.

He doesn’t forget his Wright State roots. Gutman is an active member of the Industrial Advisory Board in the Department of Mathematics and Statistics and recently participated in a panel discussion on “How AI Changes Work and Workplace.”

Gutman also makes time to mentor science and math students.

“My advice to current students is don’t forget about the soft skills,” he said. “Be able to teach others and communicate with others, both in writing and presentations, so that you can help others understand these difficult concepts that you’re learning. Just being able to communicate through writing and speaking has really helped advance my career in more ways than I expected.”

Gutman said it feels great to receive an Outstanding Alumnus Award. He acknowledged feeling a bit of impostor syndrome, noting that he remains connected with many of his Wright State classmates and is aware of the impressive careers they have built.

“So many of them are just as deserving of this recognition,” he said. “But I’m very proud to represent the College of Science and Math. It truly means a lot.”