Cracking data science on the move: 20 podcasts you absolutely can’t miss!

Data science buffs are here to make you listen!

The industry is reshaping the world and data scientists want to get the word out. The internet is flooding with new information every day at the fastest pace. Add to that, your busy life and being updated goes down the drain.

However, podcasts ensure that you don’t miss a thing. Every newsflash, every progress, every development in the world of data science is scripted into episodes that you can listen to literally ANYTIME, ANYWHERE.

So we have a lot to thank pod-casters for!

In a world where everybody is talking, who should I listen to?

Data science is hard to get. People from different backgrounds are becoming a part of this world every day. It’s a tough job to bring such a diverse set to a common denominator.

We know there’s no point in listening to a half-hour podcast when you cannot follow. That makes choosing the right podcast needs some research.

Don’t worry, we have done the heavy lifting for you! If you are struggling to keep up, we have for you a list of 20 data science podcasts that you absolutely must listen to!

You know the drill, keep reading!

1. Data Skeptic

Data Skeptic is on everyone’s list.

The podcast is hosted by Kyle Polich with his wife, Linh Da Tran, making appearances in the mini-episodes. This is the longest-running podcast with over 200 episodes since 2014.

Kyle Polich talks about data science, machine learning, statistics and artificial intelligence in a series of interestingly timed episodes. Seriously, the spectrum ranges from 15 minutes to an hour-long!

A typical Data skeptic podcast might either be an in-depth exploration of a concept or an interview from an industry expert. While Kyle Polich breaks down the content with context and sometimes humor, some episodes are a bit heavy on the technical side.

But we suggest you brave through. Although you might need to skip certain episodes as a newbie data scientist, you will find the podcast fun and helpful!

• What to look for?: Data science, ML, statistics  & AI
• No. of episodes: 278
• Average episode duration: 35 minutes
• Level: Intermediate to hard
• New episode kicks in: Weekly
• Website: https://dataskeptic.com/

2. O’Reilly Data Show

The O’Reilly Data Show is big on Big Data!

O’Reilly Media has been working to improve the learning experience for people for over 40 years. The podcast is hosted brilliantly by their Chief Data Scientist, Ben Lorica.

O’Reilly Media conducts conferences to support its podcast episodes. Each episode has a guest speaker who talks about the big data and its applications in the real world. The O’Reilly Data Show is an exciting space to track new and experimental concepts. However, this weighs down the content a bit and might scare off data science novices.

• What to look for?: Big data, data science & AI
• No. of episodes: 100
• Average episode duration: 40 minutes
• Level: Intermediate to hard
• New episode kicks in: Every 15 days
• Website: https://www.oreilly.com/topics

3. Data Stories

If you feel more comfortable with visual graphics, you’ll love Data Stories.

Enrico Bertini and Moritz Stefaner understand that humans are drawn to patterns and color. It is easier to both explain and understand your findings from data through graphs, charts and infographics. If you agree with them, Data stories has some interesting insights on data visualization for you.

What sets them apart is the different angles they take while discussing data science. Enrico Bertini and Moritz Stefaner discuss data science from a social, scholarly and professional standpoint. So you can find many episodes thrusting real-time relevance into all the topics.  

• What to look for?: Data visualization
• No. of episodes: 138
• Average episode duration: 45 minutes
• Level: Easy to Intermediate
• New episode kicks in: Every 15 days
• Website: http://datastori.es/archive/

4. Linear Digressions 

Linear Digressions stands out from our list as they don’t feature guests in their episodes. The podcast is hosted by Caitlin (Katie) Malone, a Director of Data Science Research and Development at Civis Analytics and Ben Jaffe, a UI engineer at Facebook.

Linear digressions is light-hearted and conversational, shedding light on a range of topics from data science, artificial intelligence to machine learning.

The hosts cater to students, working professionals, data science enthusiasts alike breaking complex concepts down for the benefit of its audience.

If you’re a data science newbie, Linear Digressions will be the friendliest podcast for you!

• What to look for?: Data science, AI & ML
• No. of episodes: 202
• Average episode duration: 30 minutes
• Level: Easy
• New episode kicks in: Weekly
• Website: http://lineardigressions.com/

5. Concerning AI

Concerning AI is a starkly different educational podcast. Their website reads:

“Is there an existential risk to humanity from AI? If so, what do we do about it?”

So it is pretty clear that they talk about the future of AI in a more philosophical way. The podcast is hosted by Brandon Sanders and Ted Sarvata who ask questions about the threats and large scale changes offered by artificial intelligence to the human landscape.

The podcast is interesting to listen to and opts for a refreshing approach with its discussion on ethics and regulation of artificial intelligence.

• What to look for?: Threats and control of AI
• No. of episodes: 70
• Average episode duration: 40 minutes
• Level: Easy
• New episode kicks in: We’re waiting since October 2018!
• Website: https://concerning.ai/

6. Learning Machines 101

Next on the list is Learning Machines 101. This podcast focuses on the spheres of machine learning and artificial intelligence. The podcast, conducted by Dr. Richard M. Golden, focuses on AI tools and devices and asks:

• How do these devices work?
• Where do they come from?
• How can we make them even smarter?
• How can we make them even more human-like?

Although Dr. Golden assures the podcast is for everyone, often the discussions get too technical and newbies might not get a hang of them at all!

So don’t worry if you don’t get it, Learning Machines 101 is technical enough.

• What to look for?: Applications of ML and AI
• No. of episodes: 77
• Average episode duration: 30 minutes
• Level: Hard
• New episode kicks in: Infrequently
• Website: https://www.learningmachines101.com/

7. Not So Standard Deviations

If you struggle between distinguishing the fields of data analysis and data science, we’ve found your Disneyland! As a newbie, you won’t get more clarity in the data science industry on any other podcast.

Co-hosts Roger Peng and Hilary Parker are hilarious and relatable and the podcast is, well, not so standard!

The episodes are informative on how data science fits into the academic and industrial world. Guest featured episodes will give you a detailed insight on how typically a day looks in a data scientist or data analyst’s life.

• What to look for?: Data science, data analysis
• No. of episodes: 79
• Average episode duration: 60 minutes
• Level: Easy
• New episode kicks in: Every 15 days
• Website: http://nssdeviations.com/

8. Partially Derivative

Partially Derivative discusses the changes data science is putting the world through. Hosted by Jonathon Morgan, Vidya Spandana and Chris Albon, the podcast has a casual undertone and almost feels like listening to friends talking at a bar.

The podcast discusses technical, abstract and current subjects on data science. Seek out these episodes if you’re a fan of nerds gone rogue!

• What to look for?: Data science, current industry news 
• No. of episodes: 93
• Average episode duration: 30 minutes
• Level: Easy
• New episode kicks in: N/A
• Website: http://partiallyderivative.com/podcast/

9. Talking Machines

Talking machines takes the lead on machine learning and deep learning. The podcast is conducted by Katherine Gorman with loads of radio experience and Neil Lawrence from Amazon research.

The format for the show is regular. It starts with discussing a new topic from data science, artificial intelligence or machine learning, branches into interviews and ends with answering popular questions posted by the listeners.

The podcast stands out by being audience inclusive, thanks to the radio expert- Katherine Gorman.

• What to look for?: Data science, ML, DL & AI
• No. of episodes: 50+
• Average episode duration: 60 minutes
• Level: Easy to intermediate
• New episode kicks in: Every 15 days
• Website: https://www.thetalkingmachines.com/

10. Data Science at Home

Here is another interesting podcast hosted by the talented, Francesco Gadaleta!

Data Science at Home is engaging and informative. Francesco Gadaleta’s commentary on the world of data science, deep learning, artificial intelligence, its scope and limitations are thought-provoking.

While his solo episodes are about 20 minutes, guest interviews might stretch them to hour-long sessions.  Data science at home is much like a late-night show, with a witty host cutting through people’s minds with his logical monologues.

Data Science at Home takes an unconventional approach, format, length and style. We’re sure you’ll enjoy it!

• What to look for?: Data science, ML, DL & AI
• No. of episodes: 58
• Average episode duration: 20 minutes
• Level: Easy to intermediate
• New episode kicks in: Every 15 days
• Website: https://podcast.datascienceathome.com/

11. Data Futurology

Felipe Flores hosts this wonderful podcast channel and it’s abundantly clear about what to expect from the episodes. The podcast answers the following questions:

– What makes a great data scientist? What skills are required?

– How to become a data science leader?

– How should you grow and get the most out of your team?

– What is a good data strategy? and how do you best implement it?

– What are interesting applications of ML/AI that you should be considering in your industry?

This is a great platform for learning from top-notch data scientists in the world as they’re almost all guest speakers here! The episodes are typically long and cover the featured guest’s entire data science journey.

Felipe Flores has himself mentored over 60 data scientists and believes his podcasts are a way to achieve ‘mentorship at scale’.

• What to look for?: Data science, career guidance in data science
• No. of episodes: 49
• Average episode duration: 60 minutes
• Level: Easy to intermediate
• New episode kicks in: Weekly
• Website: https://www.datafuturology.com/podcast

12. Digital Analytics Power Hour 

Data Analytics Power Hour adds a bit of tang to the discussions of data science. The podcast is made effortless by the rapport of the three hosts, Michael Helbling, Moe Kiss and Tim Wilson. The team describes their content as a closed topic and an open forum and they often feature clashes between data analytics and data science.

The forum is user-friendly, not only in its delivery but also in answering questions posed by the listeners. The episodes usually focus on the experiences and learnings of the three co-hosts.

• What to look for?: Data science, data analytics & career trajectories
• No. of episodes: 113
• Average episode duration: 45 minutes
• Level: Easy to intermediate
• New episode kicks in: Every 15 days
• Website: http://www.analyticshour.io

13. SuperDataScience

Kirill Eremenko brings his expertise as a lifestyle influencer and data science expert to the SuperDataScience podcast channel. The channel discusses everything relevant to the stream of data science catering to the largest subset of audience possible.

Kirill Eremenko accomplishes this by simplifying Godzilla concepts and topics and steering clear of many jargons.

The host adds his personal touch to the content by conducting motivational nuggets for aspiring data scientists called ‘5 minute Fridays’. These mini-episodes focus on improving your career path and building your drive as a data scientist.

• What to look for?: Data science, career development in data science
• No. of episodes: 257
• Average episode duration: 60 minutes
• Level: Easy to intermediate
• New episode kicks in: Weekly
• Website: https://www.superdatascience.com/podcast

14. Becoming a Data Scientist

Becoming a data scientist is another interesting space for fledgling data scientists especially those flocking around from different backgrounds.

The podcast is hosted by Renee M. P. Teate who shared her personal story of switching careers into data science. The episodes focus primarily on that. It is a great platform for bringing together data scientists with former, alien backgrounds and dissecting their journey.

The podcast seemed to be on hiatus but has recently promised a comeback episode for its supporters.

• What to look for?: Data science, career transitions into data science
• No. of episodes: 16
• Average episode duration: 30 minutes
• Level: Easy
• New episode kicks in: Hard to say!
• Website: https://www.becomingadatascientist.com

15. Present Beyond Measure 

Another killer podcast for data visualization is Present Beyond Measure!

The episodes center around presentation, data visualization, and analytics. Lea Pica, a data story-telling evangelist, seasoned over a career span of 11 years conducts a podcast which focuses on making data analytics graphic-rich and audience-friendly.

While some episodes are Lea’s commentary on how to improve your data visualization skills, others feature industry experts and an interesting few are makeover sessions full of tips, tools and techniques to make stand out data presentations!

This podcast is a wholesome package for improving your business presentations and client pitches.

• What to look for?: Data presentation, data visualization & analytics
• No. of episodes: 43
• Average episode duration: 60 minutes
• Level: Easy
• New episode kicks in: Bi-weekly
• Website: http://leapica.com

16. Data Lab

Patrick Callahan, Dan Larson & Joey Davidson lead the podcast on modern data science at the Data Lab. The mission is to derive value from data so you can expect interviews with many successful data scientists talking about their projects.

The podcasts discuss all trailblazing use cases and experiments. While episodes can last longer and get too technical, this podcast drives relevance in its content.

If you’re a patron of innovations in the field of data science, the Data lab (aptly named) should be on your list.

• What to look for?: Modern data science, innovations in data science
• No. of episodes: 18
• Average episode duration: 35 minutes
• Level: Intermediate to hard
• New episode kicks in: Hard to say!
• Website: https://www.thedatalab.io/podcasts

17. IBM Big data and analytics hub 

IBM’s big data and analytics hub brings its audience some major breakthroughs in the data science space.

Since it is powered by IBM, the conversation is both current and advanced. Industry experts discuss complex topics and keep up with the pace of the ever-changing data science landscape.

We will not suggest The Hub as a newbie, but you can follow their blogs to stay up to date with what’s hot in the data science and analytics space.

• What to look for?: innovations in data science & analytics
• No. of episodes: 3 seasons
• Average episode duration: 35 minutes
• Level: Hard
• New episode kicks in: Weekly
• Website: https://www.ibmbigdatahub.com/podcasts

18. TAG Data Science & Analytics

TAG Data Science & Analytics has a broader base when it comes to content. The podcast aims at encouraging thought leadership in Big Data, Data science, machine learning, AI and other related fields.

The structure of the podcast is typical with expert guests discussing innovative advancements in the Big Data realm.

Hosted by Beverly Wright, Partner – Analytics at RelationalAI, the podcast is great in understanding how data science fits into a business context. The podcast hosts professionals who detail the working of a data science strategic unit and how data-driven practices are infused in the work culture.

• What to look for?: Big Data, Data Science, IoT, Business and Predictive Analytics, ML, AI, Storytelling through data & data visualization.
• No. of episodes: 14
• Average episode duration: 20 minutes
• Level: Intermediate to Hard
• New episode kicks in: Monthly
• Website: https://tagdsa.org/tag-data-talk/

19. DataFramed

DataFramed is the podcast channel of Datacamp.

Dataframed stands with its stimulating perspective on the role of a data scientist. The episodes position data scientist as a problem solver with each one focused on a particular problem. Through this engaging way of story-telling, the episodes explore different problems and how they can be solved by a data scientist.

This is the biggest takeaway from the podcast. If you’re doubtful as to how a data scientist can be helpful in a plethora of different situations, DataFramed is your answer!

• What to look for?: Data science applications, problem-solving
• No. of episodes: 59
• Average episode duration: 60 minutes
• Level: Intermediate
• New episode kicks in: Weekly
• Website: https://www.datacamp.com/community/podcast

20. Adversarial Learning

Adversarial Learning ends our formidable list. Co-hosted by Joel Grus and Andrew Bolster who have authored books on data science previously and are experts on the subject. Joel has previously written a book “Data science from scratch” which offers a simplified explanation of the complexities of data science.

So it comes as no surprise that the podcast is lucid and easy to follow.

• What to look for?: Data science
• No. of episodes: 18
• Average episode duration: 60 minutes
• Level: Easy to intermediate
• New episode kicks in: Monthly
• Website: http://adversariallearning.com

This completes our list of top 20 data science podcasts that SHOULD make the cut to your playlist!

If you think we may have missed some stellar podcasts that you love, please add them in the comments section below!