Schulich and Deloitte, two global leaders in the field of business analytics, announced plans to create the Deloitte Cognitive Analytics and Visualization Lab, supported by a leading data scientist, to foster advances in the visualization and interpretation of Big Data.

The new Lab and position will be established as part of their joint commitment to nurturing tomorrow’s leading talent in the field. The Deloitte Data Scientist position will support the Lab and was made possible through a significant private investment from Deloitte. The Lab will be housed within Schulich’s future Centre of Excellence in Business Analytics, one of several Centres of Excellence to be located in the School’s new $50-million Rob and Cheryl McEwen Graduate Study & Research Building.

“Establishing the state-of-the-art Deloitte Cognitive Analytics and Visualization Lab at Schulich will enable both of our organizations to continue providing world-class expertise in business analytics,” said Schulich Dean Dezsö J. Horváth.

The approximately 800-square-foot lab will support teaching and research goals, as well as explore advances in predictive analytics, natural language processing, machine learning, analytics design and visualization, as well as data-based story-telling.

“By taking a leading role in business analytics education and research, we will equip Canadian leaders with the in-demand skills they need to grow their businesses,” said Frank Vettese, Managing Partner and Chief Executive, Deloitte Canada. “Business analytics is a rapidly expanding field and the Deloitte Cognitive Analytics and Visualization Lab will uncover the insights and innovation we need to not only distinguish our leaders on the world stage, but also drive Canada’s future prosperity.”