September meetup: In demand - data science behind predicting what sells

Leeds Data Science Meetup's September 2026 session centres on a single talk: "In demand: The data science behind predicting what sells and what's next for that data science", delivered by Dr David Hoyle, Research Data Scientist Specialist at dunnhumby.

The talk covers demand modelling of shopper behaviour — what goes into those models, what they're used for, and the data science, mathematics and engineering challenges involved in building them at scale for the world's largest retailers. Hoyle will also look ahead to new challenges on the horizon as demand models get applied in new ways, and what additional skills data scientists may need to meet them.

Dr Hoyle brings close to 35 years of statistical and mathematical modelling experience. He holds a PhD in Theoretical Physics and spent years in academic research at Cambridge, Exeter and Manchester before moving into industry. His private-sector career has included roles at Lloyds Banking Group and AutoTrader UK, where he was joint Head of Data Science. He now works at dunnhumby, the customer data science company that builds predictive models for major global retailers.

The format is a single main talk running just over an hour, preceded by refreshments and a short welcome. Food is served on a first-come, first-served basis from 18:00. The talk itself runs 18:50 to 20:00. The session also includes a short slot for news, job opportunities and announcements from the Leeds data community — attendees can submit items in advance by emailing lds@jumpingrivers.com or commenting on the event page.

Leeds Data Science Meetup is organised in partnership with Jumping Rivers and meets monthly across various venues in Leeds city centre. The group covers data science, machine learning, statistics and related engineering topics, with a mix of practitioner talks and community discussion. This month's host is Enablis, based at 1 York Place in the city centre — note the venue change from previous months.

Why attend

Dr Hoyle's background spans academic machine learning research and senior industry roles at AutoTrader and dunnhumby. The talk is grounded in real production demand models used by major retailers, so the content is practical rather than theoretical.

The session is free and runs on a Tuesday evening. Refreshments are included. It's a good opportunity to hear from someone working at the intersection of statistics, ML and retail data engineering, and to connect with other data practitioners in Leeds. If you're working in demand forecasting, pricing or retail analytics, the forward-looking section on new challenges is likely to be directly relevant.

Agenda

• 18:00–18:45 Refreshments (food on a first-come, first-served basis)
• 18:45–18:50 Welcome
• 18:50–20:00 David Hoyle — In demand: The data science behind predicting what sells and what's next for that data science
• 20:00 News, announcements and job opportunities from the Leeds data community

Speakers

• Dr David Hoyle, Research Data Scientist Specialist at dunnhumby. Nearly 35 years in statistical and mathematical modelling; PhD in Theoretical Physics; former researcher at Cambridge, Exeter and Manchester; previously joint Head of Data Science at AutoTrader UK.