Data science is about finding patterns and extracting meaningful insights from their analysis. As any practitioner knows, however, data loves throwing us the occasional curveball: a weird spike, an unexpected dip, or (gasp!) an oddly shaped cluster. This week, we turn our attention to those jarring moments when things (and…

A quick guide to our resources and FAQ — As TDS editors, we know that many of our writers have similar questions about the writing and publishing process, and having quick access to the information you need can help streamline your writing workflow. Below, we’ve collected some of our most useful (and frequently used) resources and links for authors—we…

The onslaught of bad news around climate change and its effects on communities around the world can be dispiriting. No individual data scientist, after all, will singlehandedly solve issues that require systemic action and global coordination. Data professionals nonetheless have important roles to play in the movement towards a sustainable…

Barry Smyth reflects on his dual-path career in academia and industry and on the changing landscape for young data scientists — In the Author Spotlight series, TDS Editors chat with members of our community about their career path in data science, their writing, and their sources of inspiration. Today, we’re thrilled to share our conversation with Barry Smyth. Barry Smyth (BSc, PhD, Hon. DTech (RGU), MRIA, EurAI) is a scientist and…

How to help your company become truly “data-informed” — Data science may have matured a lot as a discipline in the past decade, but many companies still struggle to align their goals with the insights data practitioners produce. …

Whether you’re a freshly minted data scientist or a seasoned practitioner looking for a new opportunity, launching a job search is never a casual undertaking. Throw in a pandemic, worldwide economic uncertainty, and ever-shifting hiring practices, and things look even more daunting that usual. We’re here to help: TDS authors…

Data scientists love debating which skills are essential for success in the field. It makes sense: in a rapidly changing ecosystem that adopts new and powerful technologies all the time, job requirements and toolkits never stop evolving. Statistics seem to be one major outlier, though. Data professionals of all stripes…

Cassie Kozyrkov, Google Cloud’s Chief Decision Scientist, on choosing the right career path and the value of data analytics — In the Author Spotlight series, TDS Editors chat with members of our community about their career path in data science, their writing, and their sources of inspiration. Today, we’re thrilled to share our conversation with Cassie Kozyrkov. As Chief Decision Scientist at Google Cloud, Cassie advises leadership teams on decision…

For most data scientists, the path from raw, messy data to clear narratives and actionable insights passes through visualization. Giving concrete shape to your data makes it more approachable for human brains; it also opens up the space for discussion and interpretation. We’ve published numerous tutorials on basic and effective…