Ruslan Klymentiev

Data-something-scientist

About me

I am a PhD researcher in (Computational) Criminology at Ghent University. My research is focused on the social aspect of co-offending behavior and the underlying mechanisms of criminal network formation. In my work, I mainly use computational tools like Social Network Analysis and Agent-Based Modeling.

This website is the place where I keep all my posts, demos, and lectures. The topics include Python/R Programming, Machine Learning, Neuroscience, Criminology, or whatever else I might be interested in at the moment.

Apart from being excited by the work I do, I also feel passionate about mountains, bouldering, and post-rock.

Interests

Sociology of Crime
Decision-making
Computational Modeling
Bayesian Statistics

Education

PhD in Criminology, 2026
Ghent University
MSc in Integrative Neuroscience, 2022
Otto von Guericke University Magdeburg
BSc in Radioelectronic Apparatuses, 2014
Odessa National Polytechnic University

Do you want to improve your programming skills? Check out my free online course Python for Neuroscience!

Recent Posts

How I Met My Partner In Crime

Seeking a criminal partner is not unlike searching for a dance partner on a Saturday night. Humans are inherently social creatures, driven by the innate need to connect with others. We interact with other people almost every day, forming a so-called “social network”. Interestingly, regardless of the end goal - whether it is dancing or robbery - the mechanisms underlying these social connections have remarkable similarities.

Nov 9, 2023 6 min read Criminology

How Do Criminals Make Decisions?

The ability to read the mind of criminals for sure sounds exciting. However, as exciting as it may sound, assessing anyone’s decision-making processes is not the most straightforward task. This post will give a brief overview of the behavioral economics, psychology, and criminology literature on offenders’ decision-making. It will be discussed whether actions of crime can be considered rational and whether social influence plays a role in criminal behavior.

Jul 31, 2022 23 min read Psychology

Psychopaths: the Good, the Bad, and the Crazy

The post aims to give a brief review of psychopathy as a neuropsychiatric disorder. It starts with a discussion of features that define the psychopath. Then it takes a closer look at some of the traits, such as empathy, to show the general beliefs and controversy across the studies with the provided overview of the dysfunctions in the brain and impairments that stem from them. Lastly, the post includes an overview of research on “successful” and “unsuccessful” psychopaths and assesses the literature-based opinion on whether psychopathy can be treated.

May 14, 2022 22 min read Neuroscience

Computational Models of Behavior, part 2

How to fit reinforcement learning models to behavioral data using Bayesian inference. This part is focused on the hierarchical Bayesian modeling and particularly on the usage of hBayesDM package. Approaches for the model diagnostic, selection, validation are discussed. The post also goes over groups comparison using posterior distributions of model parameters. Additionally, a brief results comparison between Bayesian inference and Maximum Likelihood Estimation is provided.

Nov 13, 2021 16 min read Reinforcement Learning