Value Driven Data Science

From BuzzFeed Quizzes to the national census, it’s impossible to get through life without encountering surveys. However, not all surveys are created equal. As with everything else in data science, garbage going in will inevitably lead to garbage coming out. In this episode, Kyle Block joins Dr Genevieve Hayes to look at practical techniques for designing surveys to ensure they deliver value, as we...

Most people have come to accept that the price of living in a technological world, and its associated convenience, is some loss of data privacy. However, few realise just how much privacy they are giving up. In this episode, Dr Katharine Kemp joins Dr Genevieve Hayes to discuss data privacy challenges for consumers and data scientists in the age of AI. Guest Bio Dr Katharine Kemp is an Associate P...

Decision-making is an essential part of everyday life and one of the main applications of data science is making the decision-making process easier. However, mostly when data scientists build models, it’s to make a single decision. But in real life, decision-making is rarely that simple. In this episode, Prof Warren Powell joins Dr Genevieve Hayes to discuss one way in which the decision-making pr...

According to the Interview Valet 2023 State of Podcast Guesting Annual Report , there are over 380,000 active podcasts in the world right now, with the average podcast episode receiving just 150 downloads within 30 days of its release. So, for individuals and organisations looking to use podcast marketing to grow their business, just booking podcast guest appearances isn’t enough. It’s necessary t...

Start-ups and data science go hand in hand, but usually when people think about how data science can help start-ups, it’s with regard to product development and enhancement. However, it doesn’t matter how great a start-up’s product is, if the financials are a mess, the business is going to struggle. This is where data science can also help start-ups, in the form of financial modelling and analysis...

Data science is among the most in-demand skills of the 21st century, with opportunities existing for data scientists to make a difference and earn good money as an employee in a range of industries. Yet there has also never been a better time to be a data science entrepreneur (or datapreneur). But for data scientists who have never experienced the entrepreneurial life and who are used to the secur...

Depending on who you speak to blockchain and cryptocurrency are either the way of the future or the scam of the century. But few would be able to tell you what either of them actually is – including among data scientists for whom data and technology are a way of life.  In this episode, Luke Willis joins Dr Genevieve Hayes to demystify blockchains, cryptocurrency and the data behind them. Guest Bio...

When data science first became the must-have skill of the 21st century, organisations were fighting to recruit the best and brightest data science talent. But the glory of having a data scientist on staff was often short-lived, as many organisations soon found they didn’t know what to do with them. Business leaders had been sold the dream of being able to turn their data into business gold but wer...

Correlation does not equal causation, as anyone who has studied statistics or data science would know. But understanding causality isn’t just important when you’re developing models. If you’re working in business and want to be recognised for your work, it’s essential to be able to demonstrate causality between what you do and the benefit flowing through to the business. In this episode, Mark Stou...

The insurance sector owes its existence to data and insurers were some of the first companies to utilise data expertise. Yet, being an early adopter isn’t always as great as it seems. And many big insurers are now discovering the challenges of bringing their long-established data systems into the 21st century. In this episode, Maria Ferrés joins Dr Genevieve Hayes to discuss the complexities of cr...

ChatGPT was one of the best things to ever happen to data science – not so much because of what it can do, but because, virtually overnight, it made AI and data science mainstream.  However, while most data scientists now have experience with ChatGPT and other large language model (LLM)-based technologies as end users, few have had experience in building their own LLM-based tools. In this episode,...

Despite its conservative reputation, the financial services industry has always been a big adopter of cutting-edge technologies. Dating back more than a century, it’s also been one of the biggest employers of people with technology and data-related skills. But what does the future hold for the use of tech in the financial services industry? In this episode, Ben Shapira joins Dr Genevieve Hayes to...

Data science is only useful if it can create value. And one way that value can be created is by using data to influence decision-making. Yet, to influence decisions, data scientists need to effectively communicate the outcomes of their work – which is something many struggle with. This is because effective data science communication is about more than just rattling off statistics and expecting you...

Pretty much everyone has a retirement plan, but those plans aren’t always robust enough to see you through to the finish line of life. And part of that is a direct consequence of incorrectly applying data science principles to financial modelling. In this episode, Todd Tresidder joins Dr Genevieve Hayes to discuss the risks and limitations of using data science when planning for retirement. Guest...

If you look at the list of the greatest inventions of the 20th century, you’ll find they all have two things in common. From tea bags to toasters and from cell phones to cellophane, they all take the form of physical objects, and all are, or at least were, protected by patents. Yet, since the turn of the century, the nature of inventions has changed significantly. And many of the greatest inventio...

Most Intro to Machine Learning courses cover supervised learning and unsupervised learning. But did you know there is also a third type of machine learning, which was used in the development of ChatGPT and is likely to become increasingly important in the not too distant future? In this episode, Prof Michael Littman joins Dr Genevieve Hayes to discuss reinforcement learning – the other type of mac...

Data science sits at the intersection of Computer Science and Statistics, so it comes as no surprise that many of the best data scientists have a computer science or software development background. And those that don’t? Well, there’s a lot they can learn from software developers. In this episode, Ethan Garofolo joins Dr Genevieve Hayes to discuss techniques from software engineering and software...

The saying goes that if you’re not paying for the product, then you are the product. And every time you interact with the digital world, there’s a good chance your data is going to be harvested for some alternative use. In this episode of Value Driven Data Science , Dr Kate Bower joins Dr Genevieve Hayes to discuss the data rights of consumers and what data scientists need to be aware of when usin...

We all want to live long, happy and healthy lives, and in the age of technology, it comes as little surprise that people are turning to data for help. Between smart watches, Oura rings and even just fitness apps like Strava, we’re all generating massive quantities of personal health and fitness data each day, sometimes literally in our sleep. But that data is only valuable if it can be converted i...

Once upon a time, data scientists needed to develop programming skills to rival those of software engineers, and this limited the ability of people without such skills to make use of AI. But recently, this has changed, with the huge number of no-code and low-code tools entering the market. In this episode, I’m joined by Geo George to discuss how start-ups are leading the way in leveraging such too...

Many data scientists dream of using their skills to develop ground-breaking AI technology. Yet, few manage to translate their dreams into commercially viable products – or even know where to begin.  In this episode, start-up founder Dr Jeroen Vendrig joins Dr Genevieve Hayes to discuss his experiences in developing AI-driven products, both in an academic setting and in a variety of organisations w...

AI technology has now reached the point where it can potentially damage the reputation of an organisation, if improperly managed. As a result, many data scientists are now becoming very interested in understanding AI ethics and responsible AI. In this episode of Value Driven Data Science , Chris Dolman joins Dr Genevieve Hayes to discuss strategies organisations and data scientists can apply to de...

The launch of Chat-GPT turned the business world upside down and left many people wondering about the future of their careers. How do you compete against AI? One solution is by delivering a superior customer experience. In this episode, Dasun Premadasa joins Dr Genevieve Hayes to discuss why technical people often trip up when it comes to customer experience and what data scientists can do to over...

From social media to electricity grids and the internet itself, we live in a highly interconnected world. But traditional data science techniques don’t adequately allow for the relationships that can exist between data points in such networks. This is where graph data analysis comes into play.  In this episode, Dr Alessandro Negro joins Dr Genevieve Hayes to discuss how data scientists can exploit...

Data science is an in-demand skill. Yet, many data scientists find it challenging to get started in the industry and to differentiate themselves from other data scientists once they find a job. In this episode, Jonathan Stark joins Dr Genevieve Hayes to discuss how data scientists can find their niche and build a reputation as a data science authority. Guest Bio Jonathan Stark is a former software...