Richard HoptroffRichard Hoptroff obtained a PhD in Physics in London for developing optimization algorithms and neural networks for industrial applications including control systems and robot vision. After graduating in 1992, he applied the same techniques to economcs and business modeling. After initially working as a consultant, he started Right Information Systems (RIS), a software company dedicated to producing what was to become known as data mining software. RIS's premier product was 4Thought, a neural-network based modeling and forecasting package. In 1997, RIS was acquired by Cognos Inc of Ottawa, Canada, where he became Director of Data Mining. In 1999 he returned to independent consulting and is currently based in Amsterdam in the Netherlands. Read More Read Less