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Schaun Wheeler

Thought Leader

Schaun Wheeler is a behavioral scientist and data scientist best known for his critical, philosophically grounded perspective on how analytics and machine learning are applied in business and marketing contexts. He has written and spoken widely on the misuse of statistical methods, the importance of causal thinking over correlational inference, and the gap between academic rigor and industry practice in data science. Before co-founding Aampe, Wheeler held data science and applied research roles at organizations including Humu and the U.S. Census Bureau, among others. At Aampe, he focuses on building AI-powered personalization infrastructure that uses reinforcement learning to optimize messaging and user engagement for consumer apps — a product with direct relevance to mobile marketing and growth teams. Wheeler is recognized in data science and marketing analytics circles for his willingness to challenge prevailing assumptions, including skepticism toward A/B testing orthodoxy and advocacy for more rigorous causal frameworks in measuring marketing effectiveness.

Last updated Oct 22, 2026 by ATDb automated enrichment · Connections updated Oct 22, 2026

Role
Co-founder
Company
Aampe
Connections
1

AI-drafted from public sources1 source cited

Years in industry
12 years

Bio

Schaun Wheeler is a behavioral scientist and data scientist best known for his critical, philosophically grounded perspective on how analytics and machine learning are applied in business and marketing contexts. He has written and spoken widely on the misuse of statistical methods, the importance of causal thinking over correlational inference, and the gap between academic rigor and industry practice in data science. Before co-founding Aampe, Wheeler held data science and applied research roles at organizations including Humu and the U.S. Census Bureau, among others. At Aampe, he focuses on building AI-powered personalization infrastructure that uses reinforcement learning to optimize messaging and user engagement for consumer apps — a product with direct relevance to mobile marketing and growth teams. Wheeler is recognized in data science and marketing analytics circles for his willingness to challenge prevailing assumptions, including skepticism toward A/B testing orthodoxy and advocacy for more rigorous causal frameworks in measuring marketing effectiveness.

Career

Roles with a cited source. All linked roles are in the Roles tab.

Expertise & education

Expertise

Behavioral ScienceCausal InferenceReinforcement LearningMarketing AnalyticsPersonalizationApplied StatisticsMachine LearningUser Engagement Optimization

Speaking topics

Causal inference in marketing and business analyticsLimitations of A/B testingBehavioral science applied to product and marketingReinforcement learning for personalization

Recognition

Notable achievements

  • Co-founded Aampe, a reinforcement-learning personalization platform used by consumer app companies to optimize user messaging
  • Authored widely circulated essays critiquing standard data science and A/B testing practices in industry

Publications

  • Various essays and articles on data science methodology and causal inference published on Medium and LinkedIn
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