Research & Data Science
At our core we are a research- and data-driven initiative. Everything we build is grounded in evidence and refined by data on what actually works — so that good intentions become demonstrable impact.
Why It Matters
Flourishing is often treated as something soft and unmeasurable. We disagree. When wellbeing is measured well, it can be predicted, personalised and proven — and that is exactly where research and data science earn their place at the heart of this work.
Data does not replace human judgement or care; it sharpens them. It tells us who needs what, when, and whether what we are doing is genuinely helping.
Our Approach
Four disciplines, working as one loop — each feeding the next, and all of them serving the person at the centre.
Predicting student success from the first day — a hybrid framework that combines psychological and academic predictors, so support can reach the people who need it before difficulties take hold.
The FlourishIQ platform uses data and AI to recommend the right tool to the right person at the right moment — turning a vast evidence base into a path that fits each individual.
Pre- and post-assessment and ongoing outcome tracking let us see what works, refine what doesn't, and improve our programmes with evidence rather than assumption.
Analytics here exists to help, never to surveil. We treat personal data with care, privacy and dignity — the science serves the person, not the other way around.
Where It Comes From
This is not data science bolted on after the fact. The founder, Dr Alten du Plessis, serves within the Integrated Data Analytics Team in the Division for Institutional Strategy, Research and Analytics at Stellenbosch University — holding a rare dual role across Student Support and Institutional Research since 1995. With a PhD in Applied Mathematics and training in positive psychology, he brings analytical rigour and psychological insight to the same table. It is this combination that lets the initiative turn data into wellbeing.
The Loop
Research generates the evidence. Data science predicts and personalises it. Measurement proves and refines it. Better outcomes for more people complete the circle — and feed the next round of research. It is the same loop that powers optimising, the third of our three engines, on the FlourishIQ platform.
When you can measure flourishing, you can grow it — deliberately, and for more people every year.
If you are an academic, a data scientist or an institution who believes wellbeing deserves the same rigour as any other science, we would welcome the collaboration.