Our online presence is constantly increasing, signalling our tastes and preferences for clothing, music and entertainment, hobbies etc.

Similarly, patterns of behaviour of communities are able to be tracked through the increasing amount of data that is collected, stored and analysed. Algorithms are being invented to make sense of patterns in this data.

A behaviour prediction analyst is a data scientist trained in the development of algorithms that can take big data sets to creatively project future patterns of behaviour across a variety of uses. These might include the personalised marketing of products, crime prediction, insurance company decisions, town planning, or government decision making.

A behaviour prediction analyst will need skills in data mining and analysis, implying a logical problem-solving disposition. They will need critical and creative thinking skills, to identify unexpected patterns, but also strong human skills to be able to think through the way people behave so as to make sense of their patterns of activity and what these say about their individual and communal needs.