Synchrony Financial (NYSE: SYF) is a consumer financial services company, which is the largest provider of private label credit cards in the United States based on volume and receivables. Synchrony provides credit products through programs with a diverse group of national and regional retailers, local merchants, manufacturers, buying groups, industry associations and healthcare service providers.
The Synchrony Emerging Technology Center at the University of Illinois Research Park focuses on advancing Synchrony’s finance and technology capabilities as well as providing real-world skills for students in artificial intelligence, data science, human-centered design and other emerging technologies.
Project examples include ‘Ensemble Methods,’ exploring the potential applications of machine learning to credit risk modeling, and the ‘Machine Vision’ project, aimed at transforming the in-store shopping experience by removing the need for the traditional checkout process. Projects can range across multiple disciplines, such as basic market and technology research, big data analytics, proof-of-concept creation, data visualization, and software development.