I am an independent marketing research and data science consultant, helping clients make strategic decisions based on data-driven insights. I also co-founded a start-up that makes publicly available data sets more easily accessible to researchers and general users for rapid analysis and visualization.
As a graduate student in Iowa, I fell in love with statistics and delighted in discovering the stories and patterns hidden in data. After earning my master’s degree in economics and statistics, I spent a year at a database marketing firm. I mostly studied choice patterns in consumer goods like toys, food, and flowers. My favorite project was on decision-making by parents buying footwear for their children — yes, even this can get complicated!
I was quickly drawn back to academia for a PhD in marketing — which really was a degree at the intersection of economics, psychology, statistics, and computer science. My research initially focused on pricing, before slowly but meaningfully shifting toward public policy and health-related topics.
I use both quantitative and qualitative analysis techniques. But analysis isn’t a standalone exercise. To understand the full picture and generate useful insights, I spend a lot of time understanding the institutional details, individual thought processes, and external factors driving the observed data and outcomes.
Over the years, I have had the privilege of teaching and mentoring some engaged and thoughtful students. I enjoy teaching courses on research and analysis methods. A particularly fulfilling experience was serving as a technical mentor in the Data Science for Social Good summer program at the University of Chicago, where I managed two student teams applying machine learning to critical problems.
I also provide pro bono consulting for small non-profits with market research and data analysis needs. In my free time, you might find me out for a walk or making props for my community theater group.