Applied research

Research that starts from the decision in front of you and ends with an answer you can defend.

The four services

Each one answers something a decision hangs on, and a single engagement often draws on two.

Data science and analytics: Answers to a specific business question from data you already hold, reported with how far it can be trusted.
Statistical consulting: Designing a study and running the statistics behind it, from fixing the sample size to measuring the size of an effect.
Litigation and expert witness support: Analysis for a dispute, with Amos giving evidence himself or supporting an expert your counsel has instructed.
Economic consulting: Economics applied to a commercial or legal matter, from the boundary of a market to the cost of a breach.

How the four fit together

A real question seldom stays inside one of these services. A dispute over lost sales can need an economist's view of the market and a statistician's view of the data, and both have to survive the other side's expert. A question that starts as data science sometimes turns out to need a properly designed study. The services are listed separately so you can find the closest one, and the brief settles the mix.

The common thread is that the method is chosen after the question is understood, and the simplest method that answers it is preferred. Amos does the analysis himself and can stand behind it as the expert when a matter goes to a hearing.

Who does the work

Amos Weiskopf has spent more than twenty years on software and data work, and he runs the open-source project Plague News.

Questions buyers ask

What does applied research cost?

A price is given once the question and the data are known, which is what the brief is for.

How do I begin an engagement?

Write a short brief naming the question you need settled and when you need the answer. Describe the data you hold, in whatever state it is in.

Which of these services do I need?

If the question is part of a legal matter, start with litigation support or economic consulting. For a business question, data science or statistical consulting is usually closer, and the brief settles it.

Can Amos give evidence as the expert?

Yes. He can serve as the named expert and stand behind the report under questioning, or do the analysis behind an expert your legal team has instructed.

Can a confidentiality agreement be signed first?

Yes, before you send anything sensitive.

Engagements by written brief.

Work begins from a documented problem statement, not a sales call.

Write a brief Or book a meeting