I have recently started to focus on machine learning projects but I have some skills that help me to progress in this area, such as:
A degree in mathematics and computer science, including a thesis on reinforcement learning (in 2011, before it was cool);
Several years of experience in building and testing models, primarily in finance;
Solid knowledge of mathematics and statistics;
Some experience with machine learning models, such as regressions, decision trees, SVM;
Proficiency with python and its popular data analysis libraries (numpy, pandas, sklearn, statsmodels), SQL, R.
I keep learning and look for challenging projects to use my newly acquired skills.