This episode of Forecasting Impact features Professor Lauren B. Davis discussing her research on applying stochastic modeling and forecasting to food bank operations. Lauren shares how she began forecasting with a local food bank, which led her to focus on forecasting the highly uncertain supply of food donations. She details the food banks' donation sourcing process, the management of their supply chains, and the application of models like exponential smoothing, support vector regression, and e...
Jun 03, 2025•49 min•Season 5Ep. 47
In this episode, we sit down with Rami Krispin, a data scientist at Apple and active producer in forecasting, to explore his journey into forecasting and data science. He shares what first sparked his interest in the field and how that passion led him to develop key contributions, including the Hands-On Time Series Analysis with R book and the TSstudio package. We discuss his motivation for writing the book, who it’s for, and how TSstudio and other R packages he has developed have helped practit...
Mar 18, 2025•52 min•Season 5Ep. 46
In this episode, Dr. Laila Akhlaghi and Professor Bahman Rostami-Tabar host a discussion on healthcare product forecasting in Eastern Africa with Harrison Mariki from Tanzania and Danielson Kennedy Onyango from Kenya. Harrison, founder of Afya Intelligence, discusses leveraging AI to improve forecasting for 7,000 primary healthcare facilities in Tanzania, addressing data quality and supply chain challenges. Ken, from inSupply Health, highlights the use of open-source tools and human-centered des...
Feb 18, 2025•1 hr 8 min•Season 4Ep. 45
In this episode of Forecasting Impact , we had the privilege of hosting Professor Jan Kleissl, a leading expert in solar power forecasting. Professor Kleissl began by sharing his journey into solar forecasting, emphasizing the growing importance of renewable energy in addressing climate change. He explained the critical role solar forecasting plays in balancing energy grids, ensuring reliability, and integrating renewable energy at scale. The discussion delved into the technical challenges of fo...
Nov 22, 2024•40 min•Season 4Ep. 44
In this episode, hosts Arian Sultan and Laila Akhlaghi discuss financial tools that enable healthcare markets to function more efficiently and how forecasting plays an important role in their execution with Hema Srinivasan of MedAccess. Hema Srinivasan is a senior advisor to MedAccess, supporting work to identify and execute opportunities for financial tools to help lower prices and increase the availability of medical products. She supports the Health Markets team in sourcing and developing pip...
Oct 15, 2024•1 hr 4 min•Season 4Ep. 43
In this episode, hosts Mariana Menchero and Faranak Golestaneh explore the cutting-edge world of foundation models for time series forecasting with guests Azul Garza Ramírez, cofounder of Nixtla, and Mononito Goswami, one of the developers of MOMENT, a family of open-source foundation models for general-purpose time series analysis. The conversation delves into the backgrounds of these innovators and their journey into the realm of time series analysis and forecasting. The podcast explores the g...
Aug 28, 2024•46 min•Season 4Ep. 41
In this episode, hosts Mariana Menchero and Faranak Golestaneh explore the cutting-edge world of foundation models for time series forecasting with guests Azul Garza Ramírez, cofounder of Nixtla, and Mononito Goswami, one of the developers of MOMENT, a family of open-source foundation models for general-purpose time series analysis. In this episode, we discuss the guests' transition into working with foundation models for time series forecasting. The guests describe the empirical approach they t...
Jul 25, 2024•44 min•Season 4Ep. 40
In this episode, guest hosts George Boretos and Arian Sultan Khan explore the intersection of Neuroscience with Forecasting & AI with guest Kai Markus Mueller, acclaimed neuroscientist and a pioneer in Neuropricing. Kai, who began his journey in psychology with aspirations of becoming a child psychotherapist, eventually shifted his focus to cognitive psychology and neuroscience. His transition from academia to the industry led to the invention of Neuropricing that utilizes fMRI and EEG to un...
Jun 05, 2024•1 hr 21 min•Season 4Ep. 39
In this episode, we had the privilege of hosting Mitchell O'Hara-Wild, data scientist and lead developer of the widely used and highly acclaimed forecasting packages, Fable and Feasts . Mitchell is a PhD candidate at Monash University, Australia. He shared insights on a wide range of topics, including his journey into data science and forecasting, the reasons behind the development of the popular Fable package, and his views on AI in forecasting. We also discussed Mitchell’s research on DAGs (Di...
May 15, 2024•48 min•Season 4Ep. 38
In this episode, we spoke to Joannes Vermorel, founder and CEO at Lokad, a quantitative supply chain software company. Joannes discussed how supply chain theory is broken down, and that we need to think in terms of paradigms and modules rather than models for solving supply chain problems. He talked about issues in time series forecasting and judgmental forecasting. He emphasized how critical it is to have a holistic view of the problem, to aim for optimization of the entire system. and to ackno...
Apr 16, 2024•1 hr 23 min•Season 4Ep. 38
In this episode, we spoke to Laurent Ferrara, Professor of International Economics at SKEMA Business School. Laurent discussed the role of nowcasting, particularly in the realm of macroeconomic nowcasting. He delved into the details of the models and methods that have been proven effective in this domain. Laurent also talked about GDP nowcasting using Google data and shared some intriguing results from his recent research. Laurent is the program chair of the 44th International Symposium on Forec...
Mar 11, 2024•45 min•Season 4Ep. 37
In this episode of our podcast, we delve into the intricate world of machine learning (ML) deployment with Dr. Eric Siegel, author of the book AI Playbook, Mastering the Rare Art of Machine Learning Deployment . Dr. Siegel, once an avid advocate of ML, now approaches the field with a disciplined yet optimistic perspective. He shares invaluable insights on how businesses can effectively implement ML strategies. Our discussion revolves around a range of compelling topics, from the inspiring story ...
Jan 23, 2024•48 min•Season 4Ep. 37
Our guests are Michele Trovero, leader of the Forecasting R&D group at SAS, and Spiros Potamitis, Data Scientist and Product Marketing Manager at SAS. We delved into the intriguing intersection of Language Model-based AI (LLMs) and forecasting software. We explored the openness of forecasting software providers to embrace LLMs and discussed the profound impact these models could have on the industry. Michele and Spiros shared insightful examples of LLM applications. They elaborated on the wa...
Dec 19, 2023•56 min•Season 3Ep. 36
Martie-Louise Verreynne is a Professor in Innovation and Associate Dean (Research) in the Faculty of Business, Economics and Law, at the University of Queensland. Prof. Martie-Louise Verreynne joined us to discuss the evolving partnership between academia and industry. While not a new concept, it has significantly transformed over the years, with over 40% of global patents now stemming from this collaboration, underscoring its growing importance in innovation. We examined the keys to success and...
Nov 14, 2023•49 min•Season 3Ep. 34
In this episode, we delved into the dynamic realm of transportation forecasting, exploring a wide array of ideas and questions. Our discussion with David began by examining the primary data sources and methodologies that drive modern transportation forecasting. We continued by highlighting the pivotal role of real-time data, GPS technology, and advanced algorithms in providing accurate insights into traffic patterns, public transit ridership, and the trajectory of mobility trends. We also discus...
Oct 17, 2023•1 hr 2 min•Season 3Ep. 33
In this episode, we host three scientists, Dr. Stephan Kolassa, Dr. Bahman Rostami-Tabar, and Prof. Enno Siemsen. They are the authors of "Demand Forecasting for Executives and Professionals." In this episode, we delve into discussions about their book. We discuss their motivations for writing this unique guide for professionals and the need for such a book. We explore the pivotal role of forecasting in business decisions and unpack key principles and methodologies. Our conversation navigates th...
Sep 19, 2023•53 min•Season 3Ep. 32
In this episode, we delve into the inspiring academic journey of two sisters from the heart of Sri Lanka. Dr Priyanga Dilini Talagala and Dr Thiyanga Talagala. Dr Priyanga is a Senior Lecturer at the University of Moratuwa, specialising in statistical machine learning and data mining, with a fervent commitment to open-source software for reproducible research. Dr Thiyanga is a Senior Lecturer at the University of Sri Jayewardenepura, focusing on large-scale time series forecasting, data visualiz...
Aug 15, 2023•45 min•Season 3Ep. 31
In this episode, we hosted Professor George Athanasopoulos, President of the International Institute of Forecasters (IIF) and Head of the Department of Econometrics and Business Statistics at Monash University. George gave an overview of the IIF's current plans and new initiatives, including the Practitioners chapter, publishing papers in the International Journal of Applied Forecasting, the forecasting distinguished lecture series, and plans for the International Symposium on Forecasting, among...
Jun 15, 2023•51 min•Season 3Ep. 30
In this episode, we had the honour of having three guests on our panel: Prof Rob Hyndman, Professor of Statistics from Monash University, Federico Garaz, CTO and co-founder of Nixtla, and Eric Stellwagen, CEO and Co-founder of Business Forecast Systems. We discussed a range of topics on the role of software in forecasting, the latest status, and future trends in forecasting software. The panel shed light on the importance of incorporating operational information in software and integrating decis...
May 08, 2023•50 min•Season 3Ep. 29
Eric Siegel is a leading consultant and former Columbia University professor. He is the founder of the popular Predictive Analytics World and Deep Learning World conference series. In this episode, Eric shares his decades of experience in predictive analytics. He discusses why ML is useful, and how predictive analytics have been used in business. Eric shares his view on prescriptive analytics, AI, and also explains uplift-modelling concepts, and why it is hard and so powerful. Eric's Recommendat...
Apr 18, 2023•40 min•Season 3Ep. 28
Scott Cunningham is Professor of Public Policy at the University of Strathclyde and is the Editor-in-Chief of the journal, Technological Forecasting & Social Change . In this episode, we talked about technological forecasting and social change. Prof. Cunningham gave an overview of how technological forecasting, policy, and business are interwoven, and how a systematic view is important in predicting the long-term pattern in technology. He described the broader context of tech mining, and why...
Feb 28, 2023•45 min•Season 3Ep. 27
In this episode, we talk to Prof. Tao Hong, a Distinguished Professor at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte . Tao provides his insights on the future of energy forecasting research, and why we need to focus on reproducibility. He discusses the Global Energy Forecasting competitions, and what we have learned from them. He also sheds light o n the importance of industry and academic collaboration, and a business model that he has implemented successfully. He recommends the following rea...
Jan 31, 2023•43 min•Season 3Ep. 26
In this episode, we spoke to Prof Galit Shmueli, Tsing Hua Distinguished Professor at the Institute of Service Science, and Institute Director at the College of Technology Management, National Tsing Hua University. Galit talked with us about the multi-disciplinary work she has done over the years, as well as the differences between statistical models that are purposed for predicting as opposed to explaining. We also discussed causal inference and how it can be used to estimate behaviour modifica...
Dec 13, 2022•1 hr 1 min•Season 2Ep. 25
In this episode, we spoke with Dr. Ataman Ozyildrim from The Conference Board . We discussed leading economic indicators and its importance in tracking the economy's business cycle. He provided his insights on the current situation of the economy. He continued by pointing to the changes in supply chain trends. We also talked about the digital economy and measuring innovation in organisations. This is only a glimpse into the many excellent insights from Ataman and The Conference Board. Recommende...
Nov 16, 2022•40 min•Season 2Ep. 24
Nikolaos Kourentzes is Professor of Predictive Analytics at the University of Skövde (Sweden) in the Artificial Intelligence Lab as well as a member of the Centre for Marketing Analytics and Forecasting, at Lancaster University in the United Kingdom. In this episode, Nikos talks about the role of AI and judgement in forecasting, and what we as forecasters need to learn from other fields such as algorithmic learning. He continues with a discussion on temporal and hierarchical forecasting problems...
Oct 14, 2022•34 min
Polly Mitchell-Guthrie is the VP of Industry Outreach and Thought Leadership at Kinaxis. In this episode, Polly talks to us about the collaboration between the academic and business worlds. She tackles topics such as possible synergies, building trustful cooperation and proper forecasting communication. She also shares with us the forecasters' ABCs rule.
Sep 14, 2022•41 min•Season 2Ep. 9
Trevor Sidery is a Lead Data Scientist at Tesco PLC. In this episode, Trevor unveils the mystery of how astrophysics and fluid dynamics studies leads to forecasting. Trevor discusses the forecasting process within a large retail company, and which business component models are predicting and how models are selected. He elaborates on best practices on scaling forecasting models on large amount of time series.
Aug 14, 2022•43 min•Season 2Ep. 8
Jim Hoover is a clinical professor and Director of Business Analytics and Artificial Intelligence Center at the Warrington School of Business, University of Florida. In this episode, Jim shares some of his experiences in the US Navy where he worked in several decision-making roles and used forecasting/operation research tools for over two decades. Jim emphasises the importance of open source software development and calls for academic cooperation on building an open access platform for sharing t...
Jul 12, 2022•50 min•Season 2Ep. 7
Our next guest is Len Tashman, Professor Emeritus of business administration at the University of Vermont, US. He is the founding and continuing editor of Foresight: The International Journal of Applied Forecasting . Len tells us how the “Foresight” journal was established in 2005, the main idea behind it, and how it is going now. This journal provides up-to-date research for practitioners and forecasters, and it has an impressive background story. Len highly recommends a prominent book by Danie...
Jun 14, 2022•41 min•Season 2Ep. 6
Jennifer Castle is an Economics Fellow at Magdalen College, Oxford University and a research fellow at Climate Econometrics, Oxford University. Jennifer talks about economic forecasting models and the role of structural breaks (e.g., Covid pandemic) in forecasting. We also discuss climate change and how it can be forecasted using econometric tools and scenario analysis. Jennifer recommends two books Fortune Tellers by Walter Friedman and The Undercover Economist by Tim Harford , and one paper-bo...
May 12, 2022•45 min•Season 2Ep. 5
