Dean Westling
Senior Ontologist at Amazon
- Role
- Senior Ontologist, Product Knowledge at Amazon
- Location
- Seattle, WA, US
- LinkedIn followers
- 500 followers
About Dean Westling
Senior Ontologist with over a decade of experience designing large-scale ontologies, taxonomies, and metadata frameworks for global enterprise systems. Passionate about turning complex data into clear, connected knowledge that powers smarter search, discovery, and decision-making.Specializing in semantic modeling, ontology design, metadata architecture, and large language model (LLM) prompt engineering, I bring a strong mix of technical precision, cross-functional collaboration, and strategic thinking. Currently leading ontology initiatives for Amazon’s Product Knowledge organization.
Experience
Senior Ontologist, Product Knowledge
Oct 2023 — Present · Seattle, WA, US
Global Softlines Category Ownership- Orchestrated ontological strategy for the Global Softlines marketplaces, aligning with business objectives and enhancing product categorization efficiency- Collaborated with cross-functional teams to gather insights, ensuring a holistic understanding of Softlines products on a global scale- Maintained a standardized ontology framework, fostering consistency and accuracy in categorization across diverse markets.Metadata Modeling- Spearheaded the development of robust metadata models, leveraging industry standards and best practices to enhance data quality and interoperability- Conducted in-depth analysis of softlines data sources to identify relevant metadata elements, facilitating comprehensive modeling for accurate representation of product information- Implemented advanced metadata management techniques, optimizing data retrieval and enriching the overall user experience.Cross-Functional Collaboration- Collaborated closely with stakeholders, including program managers, product managers, data scientists, and software developers, to ensure seamless integration of ontological models into various systems and applicationsInnovation and Continuous Improvement- Explored and implemented emerging ontological technologies, including advancements in LLM capabilities, contributing to the company\'s competitive edge- Proactively identified opportunities for continuous improvement in ontological models and LLM pipeline processes, ensuring adaptability to evolving business needs and industry trends.
Education
Western Washington University
Bachelor's degree, History
2000 — 2005
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