Master of Applied Statistics, 2005
Previous Education: BA in Economics, University of North Dakota
Hometown: Grand Forks, ND
Current Job: Vice President, Data Science @ Oracle Data Cloud
Why did you choose Ohio State for your graduate degree in statistics?
I was seeking a program that effectively balanced theory and application. I wanted to strengthen my statistical knowledge, but I also wanted exposure and experience with coding and statistical consulting with real-world applications. I felt OSU was the best match for my goals, and in addition, the people were very welcoming and supportive across the entire organization.
Describe a memorable moment during your graduate program.
Upon meeting my fellow students when I joined OSU, I was immediately intimidated by their backgrounds and intelligence. I didn’t think I’d be able to keep up! But over time I came to realize that being surrounded by those smarter than you is a great thing. We all offered each other support at the time, and even to this day, stay connected for career support and etc.
Describe your current job and how your time in the program prepared you for a career in your field.
In my current role at Oracle Data Cloud, I manage five data science teams who support advertisers improve and optimize their marketing programs on platforms like Facebook, Google, Snapchat, etc. Our efforts range from testing for differences of various marketing treatments (e.g. confidence intervals, hypothesis testing), predictive modeling of consumer behavior (e.g. using a random forest to predict who will buy a new vehicle) and causal inference of marketing effectiveness using observational data.
My experience at OSU was absolutely essential to my career success. Data-science has become increasingly important to organizations and I was well positioned to capitalize on the emerging need based on my experience at OSU. In particular, I felt well-equipped to handle a variety of problems, whether they be technical, mathematical, or conceptual in nature.
Do you have any advice for prospective students or is there anything else you would like to share?
The world is increasingly data-driven and statisticians are in a great position to make sense of that data. I encourage prospective students to pursue quantitative disciplines and take advantage of their opportunities in graduate school to equip them for future leadership in organizations. I felt that my degree at OSU paved the way for a great career… I hope others are as fortunate as I have been. Oh, and study hard!