What Sexy Data Scientists are Doing These Days

Time is the only commodity nobody gives us back, and data scientists spend 70% of their time on manual tasks instead of meaningful analysis. On this episode of Digital Transformation Success, host and Little Bird Marketing CEO Priscilla McKinney talks with Naira Musallam, co-founder of SightX, about addressing the fundamental challenge of data collection, cleaning, and analysis processes that have plagued the market research industry. Before starting SightX, an all-in-one consumer insights platform, Musallam was on faculty at Columbia University and taught graduate-level courses in research and statistics at NYU while leading R&D for a consulting firm that served Fortune 500 companies.  They discuss how the research industry transforms through automation of manual statistical processes while maintaining the transparency and accuracy that enterprise clients demand. Musallam explains how her team recognized that the industry was broken across multiple touchpoints - from data collection to cleaning, formatting, analytics, and visualization - and built SiteX to solve this problem. The conversation explores how digital innovation enables the platform to incorporate both traditional automated statistical libraries and modern AI capabilities for text-based analysis while avoiding the "black box" problem that can lead to hallucinations in quantitative research. "The only commodity in life that nobody gives us back is time," Musallam explains. "Given choices, people want to spend it doing meaningful things and fun things." McKinney and Musallam also discuss career advice for the next generation of data scientists, emphasizing the importance of soft skills over technical skills. (Dear Reader, this harkens back to a great episode where Abhijit Bhaduri said the same thing!) They explore how curiosity, flexibility, and genuine relationship-building matter more than learning specific programming languages or prompt writing, especially as technology continues to evolve rapidly. The conversation covers the evolution of technology trends in market research, from big data to machine learning to artificial intelligence, and how Musallam differentiates between AI automation and synthetic data. The episode highlights how inclusive design principles help democratize sophisticated research methodologies for users at every level of experience. Sponsors:Priscilla McKinney here! I am very excited to tell you about my book:  Collaboration is the New Competition: Why the Future of Work Rewards A Cross Pollinating Hive Mind and How Not to Get Left Behind The book's chapters are designed to be time-efficient, ensuring busy professionals can easily integrate these transformative ideas into their workflow. From discussing the state of affairs in business to providing fundamental strategies and seven practical anchors for staying on course, this book offers a fresh perspective and a competitive advantage in today's complex business landscape. Visit priscillamckinney.com for more information. Priscilla McKinney is not just a CEO; she is also a LinkedIn Influencer. The reality is that very few people are using LinkedIn efficiently or effectively, and if you’re not careful, social media can become a black hole. When you emerge, you find you wound up in a place you never intended to go and you’re wondering where all the time went. Time is precious, and trying to be everything to everyone means becoming nothing to no one. That's why she's developed a transformative 12-week course that goes beyond basic tips and tricks – teaching you how to build a strategic network and create stellar content that cuts through the LinkedIn noise. Click here to learn more, and sign up for a spot in her social influence course today! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices