Research

Original data analysis and investigations.

Intro

How to navigate this research directory

Setup

Runs on NixOS with Devenv for reproducible environments and up-to-date Python dependencies. Click Setup in the sidebar for details.

Methodology (coming soon)

Standard analysis methodologies will be documented here as the research process is refined.

Troubleshooting (coming soon)

Known limitations and workarounds from various analysis techniques.

AI (coming soon)

How context engineering, agents, and skill files reduce human error and sanity-check the analysis.

Reports

Published — Polished, peer-reviewed, or formally submitted outputs.
Independent Research — Self-directed investigations beyond coursework or guided exercises.
Learning Analysis — Projects built with SQL, Python, Excel, and other tools to build foundational skills.

Each report includes the research question, methodology, data sources, and key findings. Use the search bar or browse the sidebar to find one.

NixOS & Devenv Setup

NixOS is a declarative Linux distribution where you describe the state you want your system to have, rather than manually installing packages and configuring things individually.

Declarative Configuration

Using flakes, configurations are organised into modules and hosts. Hosts represent individual machines (desktop, laptop, server), while modules allow reusable configuration to be shared between systems.

{ flake.modules.nixos.programs = { pkgs, ... }: {
  programs.firefox.enable = true;
  environment.systemPackages = with pkgs; [
    git curl wget ripgrep python3 uv
    unzip nodejs live-server
  ];
}; }

Configurations are kept in a Git repository. Reinstalling your OS becomes simpler — pull your configuration, rebuild, and most of your setup comes back automatically.

Rollbacks

Every rebuild creates a new system generation. If something breaks, select an older generation at boot, load the previous working configuration, and fix the issue.

Devenv for Project Environments

Devenv provides fast, declarative, reproducible developer environments using Nix. It auto-activates when you CD into a project directory.

{ pkgs, lib, config, inputs, ... }: {
  languages.python = {
      enable = true;
      venv.enable = true;
      uv = {
          enable = true;
          sync.enable = true;
      };
  };
}

This sorts out PATH resolution issues on NixOS, creates persistent kernels for Jupyter, and gets the latest updates via UV from PyPI — something the NixOS store alone can't guarantee.

See the full posts: Why I Moved to NixOS and Fixing Development Environments on NixOS

Python Setup

Python projects are managed through devenv with UV for fast dependency resolution, ensuring reproducible environments across machines.

UV Integration

UV fetches packages directly from PyPI, giving access to the latest versions — unlike the NixOS store which can lag months behind. Pandas 3.0.3, for example, was available on PyPI immediately while the NixOS store was 6 months late.

Auto-activation

With devenv hook in bash, environments activate automatically when CD-ing into a project directory:

# auto-activate devenv on projects when CD into them
eval "$(devenv hook bash)"

Combined with tools like tmux-sessionizer, this reduces project navigation to a single shortcut — immediately navigating to the project directory, activating devenv, and activating the virtual environment.

PATH Resolution

NixOS handles PATH differently from standard Linux. Devenv solves the binary and pathing issues that come with this, particularly for tools like Jupyter notebooks which require persistent kernels.