About

Kristian Vepsäläinen

In one paragraph

I am an independent data scientist based in Siilinjärvi, Finland. My work sits at the intersection of mathematical statistics, open public data, and domain expertise in healthcare, law, and labour economics. I hold an FM in mathematics (University of Eastern Finland) and a Master of Engineering in cybersecurity (JAMK University of Applied Sciences). Before going independent, I worked as a statistician at the Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare (THL), as a data scientist at OP Group, and as a statistical expert at Sosiaalitaito Oy. I have co-authored peer-reviewed research with Tampere University Eye Centre and Umeå University.

Maailma on jakauma — the world is a distribution. A single number is never the answer; it is always the beginning of a question about what produced it.

What I actually do

Most analysts produce charts. I build probabilistic models — Bayesian changepoint analyses, posterior predictive distributions, Monte Carlo simulations — that make uncertainty explicit and actionable. My competitive edge is combining statistical machinery with datasets that domain experts (lawyers, policy analysts, physicians) control but cannot analyse without data science skills.

Career timeline

2024 – present Independent consultant — data science, fractional Head of Data. Clients include Tampere University Eye Centre and Umeå University (2 publications).
2019 – 2024 Data Scientist, OP Group (compliance). Regulatory data modelling, AML analytics.
2016 – 2019 Statistician / Statistical Researcher, THL. National health and welfare statistics, ~5 peer-reviewed publications.
2014 – 2016 Statistical Expert, Sosiaalitaito Oy. Municipal social welfare statistics, Western and Central Uusimaa.
2009 – 2014 FM, Mathematics — University of Eastern Finland. Minors: computer science, statistics, economics.

Education

2020 – 2023 MEng, Cybersecurity (YAMK) — JAMK University of Applied Sciences
2009 – 2014 FM, Mathematical Sciences — University of Eastern Finland
Major: Mathematics · Minors: CS, Statistics, Economics

--- title: "About" lang: en draft: false page-layout: full title-block-banner: false css: styles-en.css --- ```{=html} <nav class="en-nav"> <a href="/en/index.html">Home</a> <a href="/en/about.html" class="active">About</a> <a href="/en/work.html">Work</a> <a href="/fractional/fractional.html">Fractional HoD</a> <a href="/whitepapers.html">Whitepapers</a> <a href="/talks.html">Talks</a> <a href="/lexverse/index.html">lexverse</a> <a href="/" class="nav-fi">🇫🇮 Suomeksi</a> </nav> <div class="page-wrap narrow"> <span class="page-label">About</span> <h1 class="page-title spaced">Kristian Vepsäläinen</h1> <div class="two-col"> <aside> <div class="tag-list"> <span class="tag">Bayesian methods</span> <span class="tag">Open data</span> <span class="tag">R / Python</span> <span class="tag">Forecasting</span> <span class="tag">Health data</span> <span class="tag">Legal analytics</span> <span class="tag">Simulation</span> <span class="tag">Fractional HoD</span> </div> <div class="contact-block"> <a href="mailto:kristian.vepsalainen@proton.me">kristian.vepsalainen@proton.me</a> <a href="https://kristianvepsalainen.com" target="_blank">kristianvepsalainen.com</a> <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/kristian-vepsäläinen" target="_blank">LinkedIn</a> </div> </aside> <main class="bio-main"> <h2>In one paragraph</h2> <p> I am an independent data scientist based in Siilinjärvi, Finland. My work sits at the intersection of <strong>mathematical statistics, open public data, and domain expertise</strong> in healthcare, law, and labour economics. I hold an FM in mathematics (University of Eastern Finland) and a Master of Engineering in cybersecurity (JAMK University of Applied Sciences). Before going independent, I worked as a statistician at the Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare (THL), as a data scientist at OP Group, and as a statistical expert at Sosiaalitaito Oy. I have co-authored peer-reviewed research with Tampere University Eye Centre and Umeå University. </p> <div class="philosophy-quote"> <p>Maailma on jakauma — the world is a distribution. A single number is never the answer; it is always the beginning of a question about what produced it.</p> </div> <h2>What I actually do</h2> <p> Most analysts produce charts. I build <strong>probabilistic models</strong> — Bayesian changepoint analyses, posterior predictive distributions, Monte Carlo simulations — that make uncertainty explicit and actionable. My competitive edge is combining statistical machinery with datasets that domain experts (lawyers, policy analysts, physicians) control but cannot analyse without data science skills. </p> <h2>Career timeline</h2> <ul class="timeline"> <li> <span class="year">2024 – present</span> Independent consultant — data science, fractional Head of Data. Clients include Tampere University Eye Centre and Umeå University (2 publications). </li> <li> <span class="year">2019 – 2024</span> Data Scientist, OP Group (compliance). Regulatory data modelling, AML analytics. </li> <li> <span class="year">2016 – 2019</span> Statistician / Statistical Researcher, THL. National health and welfare statistics, ~5 peer-reviewed publications. </li> <li> <span class="year">2014 – 2016</span> Statistical Expert, Sosiaalitaito Oy. Municipal social welfare statistics, Western and Central Uusimaa. </li> <li> <span class="year">2009 – 2014</span> FM, Mathematics — University of Eastern Finland. Minors: computer science, statistics, economics. </li> </ul> <h2>Education</h2> <ul class="timeline"> <li> <span class="year">2020 – 2023</span> MEng, Cybersecurity (YAMK) — JAMK University of Applied Sciences </li> <li> <span class="year">2009 – 2014</span> FM, Mathematical Sciences — University of Eastern Finland<br> Major: Mathematics · Minors: CS, Statistics, Economics </li> </ul> </main> </div> </div> ```