Realeyes Hires Former US SEC Scientist

London-based emotional analytics specialist Realeyes has appointed former US government mathematician Jeff Ryan as Chief Data Scientist. He is relocating from New York to join the firm's office in Budapest.

Founded at Oxford University, Realeyes offers facial coding technology which measures the 'seven basic emotions' plus engagement, and is used by clients for pre- and post-testing ads. Earlier this year, Realeyes and Imperial College London were jointly awarded a EUR 3.6m grant to develop their technology, including computer webcams to automatically detect whether a person likes or dislikes what they're seeing.

Ryan (pictured) joins from the US Securities and Exchange Commission, where as Senior Science Advisor he built and led a Data Science team using machine-learning techniques to examine hedge fund risk. Prior to this, he was a Quantitative Trader at ION Trading High Frequency Fund, a Quantitative Consultant at Wells Fargo Advisors, and a Research Consultant at Savills Studley.

In his new role, reporting to CPO Martin Salon, Ryan will lead the Data Science team, coordinate its various projects and identify more ways to embed data science into the firm's product offering. CEO Mihkel Jäätma comments: 'Getting the calibre of someone like Jeff from such an auspicious entity as a US government agency is testament to the incredibly dynamic and appealing arena that emotion analytics has become. Our space continues to attract some of the world's smartest people and his experience in cutting-edge data science ultimately means we'll help our clients make better marketing decisions, particularly in digital video'.

Web site: www.realeyesit.com .