Ben Auffarth, PhD
AI Consultant, Author & Researcher
I combine deep technical expertise with practical business acumen to build data-driven systems that work in the real world.
With a PhD in Computer Science and 20+ years of experience in machine learning and data science, I work across the full stack—from data pipelines and modeling to deploying scalable production systems. My focus is on turning complex data into reliable, high-impact applications.
My work spans classical machine learning as well as modern AI approaches, including generative models, retrieval-augmented systems, and agent-based architectures. Rather than focusing on individual techniques, I emphasize building robust end-to-end systems where data, models, and infrastructure work together effectively.
I have led the development of large-scale, real-time decision systems and data platforms, where performance, reliability, and business impact are as important as model sophistication.
Highlights
Published Books
- Generative AI with LangChain (2023) — Amazon bestseller in Programming
- Machine Learning for Time-Series with Python (2021)
- Artificial Intelligence in Python Cookbook (2020) — BookAuthority best-seller
Career
Director & Chief Data Officer
Chelsea AI Ventures, London
Bridging the gap between AI innovation and production-ready systems for SMEs. Developing enterprise AI strategy, designing MLOps pipelines, and conducting technical due diligence.
Lead Data Scientist
Hastings Direct
Led ML initiatives in fraud detection and claims processing using Azure ML, Snowflake, and GenAI technologies.
Head of Data Science
loveholidays
Grew team from 2 to 7. Built automated marketing optimization improving ROI by 10–15%, ML-driven search relevance, and company-wide A/B testing framework.
Lead Data Scientist
Oleeo
Multi-GPU language models for candidate assessment, bias-aware ML systems, and production REST APIs. Led team of 6.
Data Scientist
MYJAR
Architected high-throughput decision engine (<300ms latency), ML models for credit risk, and automated forecasting systems.
Researcher
FORTH (Greece), Freie Universität Berlin, KTH (Sweden), Universitat de Barcelona
Marie Curie Fellowship. Large-scale modeling, HPC simulations on IBM supercomputers, and novel ML algorithms. Part of €2M EU FP7 project NEUROCHEM.
Education
PhD, Computer Science
KTH Royal Institute of Technology, Stockholm
Machine Learning Techniques with Application to the Early Olfactory System. Part of €2M EU FP7 research project. 300+ citations.
MSc, Artificial Intelligence
Universitat de Barcelona
Graduated Outstanding (8.6/10). Specialized in ML and feature selection methods.
BSc, Cognitive Science
Universität Osnabrück
Focus on AI and neuropsychology. Exchange semesters at Chuo University (Tokyo), METU (Ankara), and NBU (Sofia).
Services
Beyond Work
When not consulting or writing, I spend time with my 7-year old son, who's currently deciding between becoming a professional football player or a machine learning engineer. I also practice Choi Kwang Do, constantly working on improvement — a philosophy I bring to both my martial arts and professional work.
I've lived and worked across six countries, speak several languages, and once volunteered teaching English, Russian, and programming to children in St Petersburg.