---
title: "Exploratory Data Analysis: The First (and Sometimes Last) Step"
description: "Exploratory Data Analysis: The First (and Sometimes Last) Step"
image: https://blog.minitab.com/hubfs/B2BML%20-%20NEW%20FILE%20MANAGER%20STRUCTURE/Blog%20Images/Imported_Blog_Media/trek_figures-3.jpg
---

English

- [English](https://blog.minitab.com/en/?hsLang=en)
- [Français](https://blog.minitab.com/fr/?hsLang=en)
- [Deutsch](https://blog.minitab.com/de/?hsLang=en)
- [Português](https://blog.minitab.com/pt/?hsLang=en)
- [Español](https://blog.minitab.com/es/?hsLang=en)
- [日本語](https://blog.minitab.com/ja/?hsLang=en)
- [한국어](https://blog.minitab.com/ko/?hsLang=en)
- [中文（简体）](https://blog.minitab.com/zh/?hsLang=en)

- [![Icon Partners](https://blog.minitab.com/hubfs/WCM/Partners.png) Partners](https://www.minitab.com/en-us/company/partners/)
- [![Icon Contact](https://blog.minitab.com/hubfs/WCM/Contact.png) Contact](https://www.minitab.com/en-us/company/contact-us/)
- [![Icon Talk to Minitab](https://blog.minitab.com/hubfs/WCM/Phone.png) Talk to Minitab](https://www.minitab.com/en-us/talk-to-minitab/)
- [![Icon My Account](https://blog.minitab.com/hubfs/WCM/MyAcct.png) My Account](https://licensing.minitab.com/account/manage)

[![Minitab](https://blog.minitab.com/hubfs/WCM/minitab-corp-logo.svg)](https://www.minitab.com/en-us/)

- Products
  
  Back
  
  [Products](https://www.minitab.com/en-us/products/)
  
  [All Products](https://www.minitab.com/en-us/products/) 
    - [Minitab Solution Center](https://www.minitab.com/en-us/products/minitab-solution-center/)
    - [Minitab Statistical Software](https://www.minitab.com/en-us/products/minitab/)
    - [Minitab Connect](https://www.minitab.com/en-us/products/connect/)
    - [Minitab Model Ops](https://www.minitab.com/en-us/products/model-ops/)
    - [Minitab Education Hub](https://www.minitab.com/en-us/products/education-hub/)
    - [Minitab Engage](https://www.minitab.com/en-us/products/engage/)
    - [Minitab Workspace](https://www.minitab.com/en-us/products/workspace/)
    - [Real-Time SPC](https://www.minitab.com/en-us/products/real-time-spc/)
    - [Prolink Data Collection & SPC](https://www.minitab.com/en-us/products/prolink)
    - [Simul8 Discrete Event Simulation](https://info.minitab.com/en/new-to-simul8?hsLang=en)
    - [SPM](https://www.minitab.com/en-us/products/spm/)
- Solutions
  
  Back
  
  [Solutions](https://www.minitab.com/en-us/solutions/)
  
  [All Solutions](https://www.minitab.com/en-us/solutions/) 
    - [Analytics](https://www.minitab.com/en-us/solutions/analytics/)
    - [Statistics & Predictive Analytics](https://www.minitab.com/en-us/solutions/analytics/statistical-analysis-predictive-analytics/)
    - [Data Science & Machine Learning](https://www.minitab.com/en-us/solutions/analytics/data-science-machine-learning/)
    - [Business Analytics & Intelligence](https://www.minitab.com/en-us/solutions/analytics/business-analytics-intelligence/)
    - [Statistical Process Control](https://www.minitab.com/en-us/solutions/analytics/statistical-process-control/)
    - [Quality Analytics](https://www.minitab.com/en-us/solutions/analytics/quality-analytics/)
    - [Live Analytics](https://www.minitab.com/en-us/solutions/analytics/live-analytics/)
    - [Reliability & Life Data Analysis](https://www.minitab.com/en-us/solutions/analytics/reliability/)
    - [Discrete Event Simulation](https://info.minitab.com/en/new-to-simul8?hsLang=en)
    - [Process Mining](https://info.minitab.com/en/new-to-simul8?hsLang=en)
    - [Key Capabilities](https://www.minitab.com/en-us/solutions/key-capabilities/)
    - [Continuous Improvement](https://www.minitab.com/en-us/solutions/key-capabilities/continuous-improvement/)
    - [Data Integration & Data Prep](https://www.minitab.com/en-us/solutions/key-capabilities/data-integration-data-prep/)
    - [Diagramming & Mind Mapping](https://www.minitab.com/en-us/solutions/key-capabilities/diagramming-mind-mapping/)
    - [Digital Twins](https://info.minitab.com/en/new-to-simul8?hsLang=en)
    - [Model Deployment & ML Ops](https://www.minitab.com/en-us/solutions/key-capabilities/model-deployment-ml-ops/)
    - [Innovation & Project Management](https://www.minitab.com/en-us/solutions/key-capabilities/innovation-project-management/)
    - [Process Excellence: Detect, Correct & Prevent](https://www.minitab.com/en-us/solutions/key-capabilities/process-excellence/)
    - [Featured Industries](https://www.minitab.com/en-us/solutions/industry/)
    - [Academic](https://www.minitab.com/en-us/solutions/industry/academic/)
    - [Energy & Natural Resources](https://www.minitab.com/en-us/solutions/industry/energy-resources/)
    - [Government & Public Sector](https://www.minitab.com/en-us/solutions/industry/government/)
    - [Healthcare](https://www.minitab.com/en-us/solutions/industry/healthcare/)
    - [Insurance](https://www.minitab.com/en-us/solutions/industry/insurance/)
    - [Manufacturing & Industrial](https://www.minitab.com/en-us/solutions/industry/manufacturing-industrial/)
    - [Services](https://www.minitab.com/en-us/solutions/industry/service-industries/)
    - [Software & Technology](https://www.minitab.com/en-us/solutions/industry/software-technology/)
    - [Construction](https://www.minitab.com/en-us/solutions/industry/construction/)
    - [Featured Roles](https://www.minitab.com/en-us/solutions/role/)
    - [Engineering](https://www.minitab.com/en-us/solutions/role/engineering/)
    - [Business Analysis](https://www.minitab.com/en-us/solutions/role/business-analysts/)
    - [Information Technology](https://www.minitab.com/en-us/solutions/role/information-technology/)
    - [Supply Chain](https://www.minitab.com/en-us/solutions/role/supply-chain/)
    - [Customer Service & Contact Center](https://www.minitab.com/en-us/solutions/role/customer-service-contact-center/)
    - [Human Resources](https://www.minitab.com/en-us/solutions/role/human-resources/)
    - [Marketing](https://www.minitab.com/en-us/solutions/role/marketing/)
    - [Research and Development](https://www.minitab.com/en-us/solutions/role/research-and-development/)
- Resources & Services
  
  Back
  
  [Resources & Services](https://www.minitab.com/en-us/resources-services/)
  
  [All Resources & Services](https://www.minitab.com/en-us/resources-services/) 
    - [Resources](https://www.minitab.com/en-us/resources-services/resources/)
    - [Case Studies](https://www.minitab.com/en-us/resources-services/resources/case-studies/)
    - [eBooks & White Papers](https://www.minitab.com/en-us/resources-services/resources/ebooks-and-white-papers/)
    - [Blog](https://blog.minitab.com/blog/?hsLang=en)
    - [Data Sets](https://www.minitab.com/en-us/resources-services/resources/data-set/)
    - [Webinars & Events](https://www.minitab.com/en-us/resources-services/resources/events/)
    - [Education Hub](https://www.minitab.com/en-us/resources-services/resources/education-hub/)
    - [Services](https://www.minitab.com/en-us/resources-services/services/)
    - [Training](https://www.minitab.com/en-us/resources-services/services/training/)
    - [Deployment](https://www.minitab.com/en-us/resources-services/services/deployment/)
    - [Consulting](https://www.minitab.com/en-us/resources-services/services/statistical-consulting/)
    - [Self-Paced Learning](https://www.minitab.com/en-us/resources-services/services/self-paced-learning/)
    - [Continuing Education](https://www.minitab.com/en-us/resources-services/services/continuing-education/)
- Support
  
  Back
  
  [Support](https://www.minitab.com/en-us/support/)
  
  [Technical Support](https://www.minitab.com/en-us/support/) 
    - [Subscriptions & Activation](https://www.minitab.com/en-us/support/subscriptions-and-activation/)
    - [Minitab Quick Start](https://www.minitab.com/en-us/support/quick-start/)
    - [Training](https://www.minitab.com/en-us/resources-services/services/training/)
    - [Installation Support](https://www.minitab.com/en-us/support/installation/)
    - [Support Videos](https://www.minitab.com/en-us/support/videos/)
    - [Support Documentation](https://www.minitab.com/en-us/support/documents/)
    - [Software Updates](https://www.minitab.com/en-us/support/software-updates/)
    - [Product Downloads](https://www.minitab.com/en-us/support/downloads/)
    - [Support Policy](https://www.minitab.com/en-us/support/policy/)
- Company
  
  Back
  
  [Company](https://www.minitab.com/en-us/company/)
  
  [Company](https://www.minitab.com/en-us/company/) 
    - [About Us](https://www.minitab.com/en-us/company/our-company/)
    - [Leadership Team](https://www.minitab.com/en-us/company/leadership-team/)
    - [Partners](https://www.minitab.com/en-us/company/partners/)
    - [Careers](https://www.minitab.com/en-us/company/careers/)
    - [Contact](https://www.minitab.com/en-us/company/contact-us/)
    - [News](https://www.minitab.com/en-us/company/press-releases/)

[Try/Buy](https://www.minitab.com/en-us/try-buy/)

- [Statistics](https://blog.minitab.com/en/blog/tag/statistics)
- [Data Analysis](https://blog.minitab.com/en/blog/tag/data-analysis)
  
    - <https://www.minitab.com/en-us/>
- [Quality Improvement](https://blog.minitab.com/en/blog/tag/quality-improvement)

- [Subscribe](https://info.minitab.com/blog/subscribe?hsLang=en)

![Minitab](https://20853177.fs1.hubspotusercontent-na1.net/hubfs/20853177/minitab-corp-logo.svg?t=1755011311618)

## Notice

You are now leaving minitab.com.

 Click Continue to proceed to:

 Continue

 Go Back

# Exploratory Data Analysis: The First (and Sometimes Last) Step

 Minitab Guest Blogger  |  7/9/2013

- [Share](https://www.linkedin.com/shareArticle?mini=true&url=https://blog.minitab.com/en/blog/statistics-in-the-field/exploratory-data-analysis-the-first-and-sometimes-last-step)
- [Share](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?u=https://blog.minitab.com/en/blog/statistics-in-the-field/exploratory-data-analysis-the-first-and-sometimes-last-step)

*by Matthew Barsalou, guest blogger*

A good way to begin researching a topic is with exploratory data analysis (EDA). In his 1977 book *Exploratory Data Analysis,* John Tukey suggested using EDA to collect and analyze data—not to confirm a hypothesis, but to *form* a hypothesis that could later be confirmed through other methods.

In some cases, EDA can even eliminate the need for a more in-depth hypothesis test. Here's a case in point. 

When I heard about the new *Star Trek* movie, I had started to complain to anybody who would listen (which was not many people) that director J. J. Abrams had used such a young cast in the 2009 *Star Trek* [film](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0796366/).

With a tentative hypothesis of “the new *Star Trek* films use very young actors and actresses compared to the older Star Trek series,” I decided to look into this further. The first thing I did was collect data to use later in boxplots, which are a part of Tukey’s EDA.

## Collecting Data for the Exploratory Analysis

I needed to determine the ages at which each main *Star Trek* actor first appeared; however, before I started looking for ages, I needed a method to determine whom I should consider as a main character in each series. To select the actors to consider I went to [www.StarTrek.com](http://www.startrek.com/) and observed which characters were listed for each *Star Trek* series. This way I avoided biasing my results by selecting older or younger crewmembers who may not have had as much relevance as others.

The tables below list the characters and the episode or movie in which they first appeared. The name of the actor playing each character is then listed, and their year of birth as determined by viewing their entry at the Internet Movie [Database](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0796366/). To determine the person’s age, the date of birth was subtracted from the year of first appearance. This resulted in rough calculations which could be wrong by a year, because month of birth and month of first appearance were not considered.

Table 1: Star Trek: [The Original Series](http://www.startrek.com/page/star-trek-the-original-series)

| **Name** | **Character** | **First appeared in** | **Year of birth** | **Year of first appearance** | **Age** +/- 1 year |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| William [Shatner](http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000638/?ref_=tt_cl_t2) | James T. Kirk | The Man Trap | 1931 | 1966 | 35 |
| Leonard [Nimoy](http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000559/?ref_=tt_cl_t1) | Spock | The Man Trap | 1931 | 1966 | 35 |
| DeForest [Kelley](http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001420/?ref_=tt_cl_t3) | Leonard “Bones” McCoy | The Man Trap | 1920 | 1966 | 46 |
| James [Doohan](http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001150/?ref_=tt_cl_t5) | Montgomery “Scotty” Scott | The Man Trap | 1920 | 1966 | 46 |
| George [Takei](http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001786/?ref_=tt_cl_t8) | Sulu | The Man Trap | 1937 | 1966 | 29 |
| Nichelle [Nichols](http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0629667/?ref_=tt_cl_t4) | Uhura | The Man Trap | 1932 | 1966 | 34 |
| Walter [Koenig](http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000479/?ref_=tt_cl_t10) | Pavel Andreievich Checkov | Amok Time | 1936 | 1967 | 31 |

 

Table 2: Star Trek: [The Next Generation](http://www.startrek.com/page/star-trek-the-next-generation)

| **Name** | **Character** | **First appeared in** | **Year of birth** | **Year of first appearance** | **Age** |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Patrick [Stewart](http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001772/?ref_=tt_cl_t1) | Jean-Luc Picard | Encounter at Farpoint | 1940 | 1987 | 47 |
| Jonathan [Frakes](http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000408/?ref_=tt_cl_t2) | Will Riker | Encounter at Farpoint | 1952 | 1987 | 35 |
| Brent [Spiner](http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000642/?ref_=tt_cl_t5) | Data | Encounter at Farpoint | 1949 | 1987 | 38 |
| Levar [Burton](http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000996/?ref_=tt_cl_t3) | Geordi La Forge | Encounter at Farpoint | 1957 | 1987 | 30 |
| Michael [Dorn](http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000373/?ref_=tt_cl_t4) | Worf | Encounter at Farpoint | 1952 | 1987 | 35 |
| Marina [Sirtits](http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000642/?ref_=tt_cl_t5) | Deana Troi | Encounter at Farpoint | 1955 | 1987 | 32 |
| Gates [McFadden](http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000533/?ref_=tt_cl_t7) | Beverly Crusher | Encounter at Farpoint | 1949 | 1987 | 38 |
| Wil [Wheaton](http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000696/?ref_=tt_cl_t9) | Wesley Crusher | Encounter at Farpoint | 1972 | 1987 | 15 |

 

Table 3: Star Trek: [Deep Space Nine](http://www.startrek.com/page/star-trek-deep-space-nine)

| **Name** | **Character** | **First appeared in** | **Year of birth** | **Year of first appearance** | **Age** |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Avery [Brooks](http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000984/) | Benjamin Sisko | Emissary | 1948 | 1993 | 45 |
| Nan [Visitor](http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000684/) | Kira Nerys | Emissary | 1957 | 1993 | 36 |
| Rene [Auberjonois](http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0041281/) | Odo | Emissary | 1940 | 1993 | 53 |
| Alexander [Siddig](http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0796502/) | Julian Bashir | Emissary | 1965 | 1993 | 28 |
| Colm [Meany](http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000538/) | Miles O’Brien | Emissary | 1953 | 1993 | 40 |
| Terry [Farrell](http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000395/) | Jadzia Dax | Emissary | 1963 | 1993 | 30 |
| Armin [Shimerman](http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001734/) | Quark | Emissary | 1949 | 1993 | 44 |
| Cirroc [Lofton](http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0517467/) | Jake Sisko | Emissary | 1978 | 1993 | 15 |
| Michael [Dorn](http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000373/?ref_=tt_cl_t4) | Worf | The Way of the Warrior | 1952 | 1995 | 46 |
| Nicole de [Boer](http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0207498/) | Ezri Dax | Image in the Sand | 1970 | 1998 | 28 |

 

Table 4: Star Trek: [Voyager](http://www.startrek.com/page/star-trek-voyager)

| **Name** | **Character** | **First appeared in** | **Year of birth** | **Year of first appearance** | **Age** |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Kate [Mulgrew](http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000550/) | Kathryn Janeway | Caretaker | 1955 | 1995 | 40 |
| Robert [Beltran](http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000296/) | Chakotay | Caretaker | 1953 | 1995 | 42 |
| Tim [Russ](http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0750913/) | Tuvok | Caretaker | 1956 | 1995 | 39 |
| Robert Duncan [McNeill](http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000536/) | Tom Paris | Caretaker | 1964 | 1995 | 31 |
| Roxann [Dawson](http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0206259/?ref_=tt_cl_t3) | B’Elanna Torres | Caretaker | 1958 | 1995 | 37 |
| Garrett [Wang](http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0910897/?ref_=tt_cl_t8) | Harry Kim | Caretaker | 1968 | 1995 | 27 |
| Robert [Picardo](http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000585/?ref_=tt_cl_t6) | The Doctor | Caretaker | 1953 | 1995 | 42 |
| Ethan [Phillips](http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0680392/?ref_=tt_cl_t5) | Neelix | Caretaker | 1955 | 1995 | 40 |
| Jennifer [Lien](http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000497/?ref_=tt_cl_t12) | Kes | Caretaker | 1974 | 1995 | 21 |
| Jerry [Ryan](http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0005394/?ref_=tt_cl_t11) | Seven of Nine | Scorpion: Part 2 | 1968 | 1997 | 29 |

 

Table 5: Star Trek: [Enterprise](http://www.startrek.com/page/star-trek-enterprise)

| **Name** | **Character** | **First appeared in** | **Year of birth** | **Year of first appearance** | **Age** |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Scott [Bakula](http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000836/?ref_=tt_cl_t1) | Jonathan Archer | Broken Bow: Part 1 | 1954 | 2001 | 47 |
| Jolene [Blalock](http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0086883/?ref_=tt_cl_t3) | T’pol | Broken Bow: Part 1 | 1975 | 2001 | 26 |
| Connor [Trinneer](http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0872997/?ref_=tt_cl_t7) | Charles “Trip” Tucker III | Broken Bow: Part 1 | 1969 | 2001 | 32 |
| Dominic [Keating](http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0444098/?ref_=tt_cl_t4) | Malcom Reed | Broken Bow: Part 1 | 1962 | 2001 | 39 |
| John [Billingsley](http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0082517/?ref_=tt_cl_t2) | Phlox | Broken Bow: Part 1 | 1960 | 2001 | 41 |
| Linda [Park](http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0971133/?ref_=tt_cl_t6) | Hoshi Sato | Broken Bow: Part 1 | 1978 | 2001 | 23 |
| Anthony [Montgomery](http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0599719/?ref_=tt_cl_t5) | Travis Mayweather | Broken Bow: Part 1 | 1971 | 2001 | 30 |

 

Table 6: Star Trek [(2009)](http://www.startrek.com/page/star-trek-2009)

| **Name** | **Character** | **First appeared in** | **Year of birth** | **Year of first appearance** | **Age** |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Chris [Pine](http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1517976/) | James T. kirk | Star Trek (2009) | 1980 | 2009 | 29 |
| Zachary [Quinto](http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0704270/?ref_=tt_cl_t2) | Spock | Star Trek (2009) | 1977 | 2009 | 32 |
| Karl [Urban](http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0881631/?ref_=tt_cl_t6) | Leonard “Bones” McCoy | Star Trek (2009) | 1972 | 2009 | 37 |
| Zoe [Saldana](http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0757855/?ref_=tt_cl_t7) | Nyota Uhura | Star Trek (2009) | 1978 | 2009 | 31 |
| Simon [Pegg](http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0670408/?ref_=tt_cl_t8) | Montgomery “Scotty” Scott | Star Trek (2009) | 1970 | 2009 | 39 |
| John [Cho](http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0158626/?ref_=tt_cl_t9) | Hukaru Sulu | Star Trek (2009) | 1972 | 2009 | 37 |
| Anton [Yelchin](http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0947338/?ref_=tt_cl_t10) | Pavel Andreievich Checkov | Star Trek (2009) | 1989 | 2009 | 30 |

## EDA: Interpreting the Data with a Boxplot

Simply looking at the results in tables 1 through 6 led to me suspect my hypothesis may have been incorrect, but I still proceeded to create a Minitab [boxplot](https://blog.minitab.com/blog/understanding-statistics/seven-alternatives-to-pie-charts?hsLang=en) with the data.

![boxplot of star trek ages](https://blog.minitab.com/hubfs/B2BML%20-%20NEW%20FILE%20MANAGER%20STRUCTURE/Blog%20Images/Imported_Blog_Media/star_trek_boxplot-Jul-06-2025-12-39-03-6414-AM.jpg)

The boxplot depicts the ages of the actors and actresses in each Star Trek series as well as in the 2009 reboot. The rectangular boxes represent the middle 50% of each data set and the vertical lines on top of the rectangular boxes represent the upper 25% of the data. The vertical lines on the bottom of the rectangular boxes represent the lower 25% of the data—except in the case of outliers. Outliers are unusually large or small observations and are represented by an asterisk. There is only one outlier in this boxplot, and that is Will Wheaton as Wesley Crusher in Star Trek: TNG.

The symbol that looks like a plus sign inside of a small circle is used to represent the average of the data set. The average age of actors and actresses in the 2009 reboot is 33.57 years, and this is just slightly lower than Star Trek: TNG, which had an average of 33.75 years of age. The highest average age was for Star Trek: TOS with an average of 36.57.

What truly stands out in the boxplot is the spread of the data. The distribution of actors' ages in the reboot was less than that of all of the other series. This would make sense as it would not be plausible to use actors or actresses in their 50s or 60s to portray people who are still attending Star Fleet Academy.

The hypothesis that originally started this was “the new Star Trek films use very young actors and actresses compared to the older Star Trek series,” but a look at the boxplots in figure one show that this may not be the case. In fact, there is no reason to proceed on to confirmation testing because my hypothesis can be discarded at this point. 

It looks like I owe director J. J. Abrams an apology.

## Exploratory Data Analysis Raises New Questions

Even a hypothesis that was discarded after performing EDA can lead to the...um...*next generation* of hypotheses, and new insights. In this case, my new hypothesis could be, “The actors and actresses in Star Trek are not getting younger; I am getting older.” The new hypothesis could also be explored with EDA prior to moving on to more robust methods.  

However, in this case, I will not investigate my new hypothesis. I would rather just change the subject.

 

**About the Guest Blogger: **

*Matthew Barsalou is an engineering quality expert in BorgWarner Turbo Systems Engineering GmbH’s Global Engineering Excellence department. He has previously worked as a quality manager at an automotive component supplier and as a contract quality engineer at Ford in Germany and Belgium. He possesses a bachelor of science in industrial sciences, a master of liberal studies and a master of science in business administration and engineering from the Wilhelm Büchner Hochschule in Darmstadt, Germany.*

 

*[Photo of Star Trek figures](http://www.flickr.com/photos/timberwolfstudios/2618744796) by Miguel Bernas, used under creative commons 2.0 license.*   

---

- [Careers](https://www.minitab.com/en-us/company/careers/)
- [Trust Center](https://www.minitab.com/en-us/trust-center/)
- [Suppliers](https://www.minitab.com/en-us/suppliers/)
- [Site Map](https://www.minitab.com/en-us/site-map/)

- [![linkedin](https://blog.minitab.com/hubfs/WCM/linkedin-1.png)](https://www.linkedin.com/company/minitab/)
- [![facebook](https://blog.minitab.com/hubfs/WCM/facebook.png)](https://www.facebook.com/Minitab/)
- [![youtube](https://blog.minitab.com/hubfs/WCM/youtube.png)](https://www.youtube.com/user/MinitabInc)
- [![instagram](https://blog.minitab.com/hubfs/WCM/instagram.png)](https://www.instagram.com/minitab/)

---

© 2025 Minitab, LLC. All Rights Reserved.

- [Terms of Use](https://www.minitab.com/en-us/legal/terms-of-use/)
- [Privacy Policy](https://www.minitab.com/en-us/legal/privacy-policy/)
- [Legal](https://www.minitab.com/en-us/legal/)

- Cookies Settings