There is no clear definition so far of what a data scientist is, but there is a lively debate on the topic and more importantly a lively market of recruiters offering to pay good salaries for what they perceive is a key role for the future. The consensus appears to be that a data scientist role is something between a data analyst, a statistician and a computer scientist but having sufficient domain specific knowledge and possessing of other pioneering scientific research qualities too. Another perspective on this complex role is sometimes referred to as a “T” shaped skill set. By this, it is implied that individuals possess a breadth of skills such as academic curiosity, storytelling, product sense, engineering etc. but also deep statistical and machine learning competences for example. Furthermore, we believe that tomorrow’s Chief Executive Officers will be pooled from these data scientists of today. Such individuals will possess the insight, experience and wisdom to lead the major enterprises of tomorrow in an increasingly data-centric world.
Source: Edison Project: http://edison-project.eu/sites/edison-project.eu/files/attached_files/node-5/edison2017poster02-dsp-profiles-v03.pdf
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