Mikhail Zhilkin, a data scientist who has worked on projects ranging from Candy Crush games to Premier League football players’ physical performance, shares his strong views on some of the best and, more importantly, worst practices in data analytics and business intelligence. Why data science is hard, what pitfalls analysts and decision-makers fall into, and what everyone involved can do to give themselves a fighting chance—the book examines these and other questions with the skepticism of someone who has seen the sausage being made.
Honest and direct, full of examples from real life, Data Science Without Makeup: A Guidebook for End-Users, Analysts and Managers will be of great interest to people who aspire to work with data, people who already work with data, and people who work with people who work with data—from students to professional researchers and from early-career to seasoned professionals.
Mikhail Zhilkin is a data scientist at Arsenal FC. He has previously worked on the popular Candy Crush mobile games and in sports betting.
Table of Contents:
Foreword by Tom Allen, Lead Sports Scientist at Arsenal FC
Part One. The Ugly Truth
1. What is Data Science?
2. Data Science is Hard
3. Our Brain Sucks
Part Two. A New Hope
4. Data Science for People
5. Quality Assurance
6. Automation
Part Three. People, People, People
7. Hiring a Data Scientist
8 What a Data Scientist Wants
9. Measuring Performance
About the Author :
Mikhail Zhilkin is a Data Scientist at Arsenal FC. He has previously worked on the popular Candy Crush mobile games and in sports betting.
Review :
“Having worked with Mikhail it does not surprise me that he has put together a comprehensive and insightful book on Data Science where down-to-earth pragmatism is the recurring theme. This is a must-read for everyone interested in industrial Data Science, in particular analysts and managers who want to learn from Mikhail‘s great experience and approach.”
--Stefan Freyr Gudmundsson, Lead Data Scientist at H&M, former AI Research Lead at King and Director of Risk Analytics and Modeling at Islandsbanki.
“Mikhail's book is a clear sighted-look at why data science is hard, and why it is so rewarding. It tells the unvarnished truth about data science. The author's view from the trenches will resonate with data scientists, giving them vocabulary and frameworks to describe what they need from colleagues and clients. For sponsors and consumers of data science, this book will clarify what the data scientists are doing with their time. are doing with their time and why they need to do it. Chapter 2 (‘Data Science is Hard’) is worth the price on its own -- and then Zhilkin gives us processes to help. An invaluable resource for, in plain language, framing data science as a difficult but valuable role in an organization, with strong advice on processes to maximize the effectiveness of that role. A must-read for any practitioner, manager, or executive sponsor of data science.”
--Ted Lorenzen, Director of Marketing Analytics at Vein Clinics of America
“Mikhail is a pioneer in the applied data science space. His ability to provide innovative solutions to practical questions in a dynamic environment is simply superb. Importantly, Mikhail’s ability to remain calm and composed in high-pressure situations is surpassed only by his humility.”
--Darren Burgess, High Performance Manager at Melbourne FC, former Head of Elite Performance at Arsenal FC
