What's on the bench.
Sympy
Use when you need exact symbolic math in Python — algebra, calculus, equation solving, symbolic linear algebra, or code generation via lambdify/LaTeX. Prefer NumPy or SciPy when floating-point approximations are sufficient.
Statsmodels
Statistical models library for Python. Use when you need specific model classes (OLS, GLM, mixed models, ARIMA) with detailed diagnostics, residuals, and inference. Best for econometrics, time series, rigorous inference with coefficient tables. For guided statistical test selection with APA reporting use statistical-analysis.
Statistical Analysis
Guided statistical analysis with test selection and reporting. Use when you need help choosing appropriate tests for your data, assumption checking, power analysis, and APA-formatted results. Best for academic research reporting, test selection guidance. For implementing specific models programmatically use statsmodels.
Stable Baselines3
Production-ready reinforcement learning algorithms (PPO, SAC, DQN, TD3, DDPG, A2C) with scikit-learn-like API. Use for standard RL experiments, quick prototyping, and well-documented algorithm implementations. Best for single-agent RL with Gymnasium environments. For high-performance parallel training, multi-agent systems, or custom vectorized environments, use pufferlib instead.
Shap
Model interpretability and explainability using SHAP (SHapley Additive exPlanations). Use this skill when explaining machine learning model predictions, computing feature importance, generating SHAP plots (waterfall, beeswarm, bar, scatter, force, heatmap), debugging models, analyzing model bias or fairness, comparing models, or implementing explainable AI. Works with tree-based models (XGBoost, LightGBM, Random Forest), deep learning (TensorFlow, PyTorch), linear models, and any black-box model.
Seaborn
Statistical visualization with pandas integration. Use for quick exploration of distributions, relationships, and categorical comparisons with attractive defaults. Best for box plots, violin plots, pair plots, heatmaps. Built on matplotlib. For interactive plots use plotly; for publication styling use scientific-visualization.
Scvi Tools
Deep generative models for single-cell omics. Use when you need probabilistic batch correction (scVI), transfer learning, differential expression with uncertainty, or multi-modal integration (TOTALVI, MultiVI). Best for advanced modeling, batch effects, multimodal data. For standard analysis pipelines use scanpy.
Scvelo
RNA velocity analysis with scVelo. Estimate cell state transitions from unspliced/spliced mRNA dynamics, infer trajectory directions, compute latent time, and identify driver genes in single-cell RNA-seq data. Complements Scanpy/scVI-tools for trajectory inference.
Scikit Survival
Comprehensive toolkit for survival analysis and time-to-event modeling in Python using scikit-survival. Use this skill when working with censored survival data, performing time-to-event analysis, fitting Cox models, Random Survival Forests, Gradient Boosting models, or Survival SVMs, evaluating survival predictions with concordance index or Brier score, handling competing risks, or implementing any survival analysis workflow with the scikit-survival library.
Scikit Learn
Machine learning in Python with scikit-learn. Use when working with supervised learning (classification, regression), unsupervised learning (clustering, dimensionality reduction), model evaluation, hyperparameter tuning, preprocessing, or building ML pipelines. Provides comprehensive reference documentation for algorithms, preprocessing techniques, pipelines, and best practices.
Scikit Bio
Biological data toolkit. Sequence analysis, alignments, phylogenetic trees, diversity metrics (alpha/beta, UniFrac), ordination (PCoA), PERMANOVA, FASTA/Newick I/O, for microbiome analysis.
Scientific Visualization
Meta-skill for publication-ready figures. Use when creating journal submission figures requiring multi-panel layouts, significance annotations, error bars, colorblind-safe palettes, and specific journal formatting (Nature, Science, Cell). Orchestrates matplotlib/seaborn/plotly with publication styles. For quick exploration use seaborn or plotly directly.
Scientific Schematics
Create publication-quality scientific diagrams using Nano Banana 2 AI with smart iterative refinement. Uses Gemini 3.1 Pro Preview for quality review. Only regenerates if quality is below threshold for your document type. Specialized in neural network architectures, system diagrams, flowcharts, biological pathways, and complex scientific visualizations.
Scientific Critical Thinking
Evaluate scientific claims and evidence quality. Use for assessing experimental design validity, identifying biases and confounders, applying evidence grading frameworks (GRADE, Cochrane Risk of Bias), or teaching critical analysis. Best for understanding evidence quality, identifying flaws. For formal peer review writing use peer-review.
Scientific Brainstorming
Creative research ideation and exploration. Use for open-ended brainstorming sessions, exploring interdisciplinary connections, challenging assumptions, or identifying research gaps. Best for early-stage research planning when you do not have specific observations yet. For formulating testable hypotheses from data use hypothesis-generation.
Scholar Evaluation
Systematically evaluate scholarly work using the ScholarEval framework, providing structured assessment across research quality dimensions including problem formulation, methodology, analysis, and writing with quantitative scoring and actionable feedback.
Scanpy
Standard single-cell RNA-seq analysis pipeline. Use for QC, normalization, dimensionality reduction (PCA/UMAP/t-SNE), clustering, differential expression, visualization, and converting R-friendly single-cell formats such as Seurat or SingleCellExperiment RDS files into h5ad for Scanpy. Best for exploratory scRNA-seq analysis with established workflows. For deep learning models use scvi-tools; for data format questions use anndata.
Rowan
Rowan is a cloud-native molecular modeling and medicinal-chemistry workflow platform with a Python API. Use for pKa and macropKa prediction, conformer and tautomer ensembles, docking and analogue docking, protein-ligand cofolding, MSA generation, molecular dynamics, permeability, descriptor workflows, and related small-molecule or protein modeling tasks. Ideal for programmatic batch screening, multi-step chemistry pipelines, and workflows that would otherwise require maintaining local HPC/GPU infrastructure.
Research Grants
Write competitive research proposals for NSF, NIH, DOE, DARPA, and Taiwan NSTC. Agency-specific formatting, review criteria, budget preparation, broader impacts, significance statements, innovation narratives, and compliance with submission requirements.
Rdkit
Cheminformatics toolkit for fine-grained molecular control. SMILES/SDF parsing, descriptors (MW, LogP, TPSA), fingerprints, substructure search, 2D/3D generation, similarity, reactions. For standard workflows with simpler interface, use datamol (wrapper around RDKit). Use rdkit for advanced control, custom sanitization, specialized algorithms.
Qutip
Quantum physics simulation library for open quantum systems. Use when studying master equations, Lindblad dynamics, decoherence, quantum optics, or cavity QED. Best for physics research, open system dynamics, and educational simulations. NOT for circuit-based quantum computing—use qiskit, cirq, or pennylane for quantum algorithms and hardware execution.
Qiskit
IBM quantum computing framework. Use when targeting IBM Quantum hardware, working with Qiskit Runtime for production workloads, or needing IBM optimization tools. Best for IBM hardware execution, quantum error mitigation, and enterprise quantum computing. For Google hardware use cirq; for gradient-based quantum ML use pennylane; for open quantum system simulations use qutip.
Pyzotero
Interact with Zotero reference management libraries using the pyzotero Python client. Retrieve, create, update, and delete items, collections, tags, and attachments via the Zotero Web API v3. Use this skill when working with Zotero libraries programmatically, managing bibliographic references, exporting citations, searching library contents, uploading PDF attachments, or building research automation workflows that integrate with Zotero.
Pytorch Lightning
Deep learning framework (PyTorch Lightning / lightning package). Organize PyTorch code into LightningModules, configure Trainers for multi-GPU/TPU, implement data pipelines, callbacks, logging (W&B, TensorBoard, MLflow), distributed training (DDP, FSDP, DeepSpeed), for scalable neural network training.