Python and R for the Modern Data Scientist: The Best of Both Worlds

Success in data science depends on the flexible and appropriate use of tools. That includes Python and R, two of the foundational programming languages in the field. This book guides data scientists from the Python and R communities along the path to becoming bilingual. By recognizing the strengths of both languages, you'll discover new ways to accomplish data science tasks and expand your skill set.

Authors Rick Scavetta and Boyan Angelov explain the parallel structures of these languages and highlight where each one excels, whether it's their linguistic features or the powers of their open source ecosystems. You'll learn how to use Python and R together in real-world settings and broaden your job opportunities as a bilingual data scientist.

• Learn Python and R from the perspective of your current language
• Understand the strengths and weaknesses of each language
• Identify use cases where one language is better suited than the other
• Understand the modern open source ecosystem available for both, including packages, frameworks, and workflows
• Learn how to integrate R and Python in a single workflow
• Follow a case study that demonstrates ways to use these languages together

Rick Scavetta has worked as an independent workshop trainer, freelance data scientist and co-founder since 2012. Operating as Scavetta Academy, Rick has a close and recurring presence at primary research institutes across Germany. His online courses at DataCamp have been taken by over 200,000 students since 2016 and he’s also contributed to advanced data science courses for O’Reilly and Manning. Rick currently serves as the technical curriculum advisor to the Misk Academy in Saudi Arabia and heads the development of their Data Science programme.

Boyan Angelov is a Senior Data Scientist, Engineering Manager, and Consultant with almost a decade of experience in a variety of academic and industry environments, covering a variety of topics such as bioinformatics, clinical trials, HRTech, and management consulting. He is additionally a contributor to open source scientific projects in the field of xAI, and speaks regularly at conferences and meetups.