Rhodes Information Initiative | Data+
I co-led a team of students that explored survey data from degree completers and alumni to establish important correlations, document key patterns and longitudinal trends, and develop visualizations that inform institutional decision-making.
“This project brought together data science, institutional research, and student mentorship in a way that made a real difference. We didn’t just analyze data—we built a tool that helps university leaders better understand the PhD experience and take informed action.”
Mapping the Trajectories of Duke Doctoral Students
In partnership with Duke’s Rhodes Information Initiative and The Graduate School, I co-led a summer research project aimed at better understanding the experiences and long-term trajectories of PhD students and alumni. The project supported Duke’s Reimagining Doctoral Education (RiDE) initiative, a campus-wide effort to ensure that doctoral training equips students not only for academic careers, but also for leadership and impact across industry, government, and the nonprofit sector. Our specific charge was to design a decision-support tool that could help institutional leaders examine how effectively programs were supporting students through mentoring, professional development, climate, and career outcomes across more than 50 doctoral programs.
The initiative originated from a formal proposal I co-authored with Ed Balleisen, Vice Provost for Interdisciplinary Studies, and was accepted into Duke’s Data+ program—a competitive, university-wide initiative that supports undergraduate research in data science. Once accepted, we recruited a multidisciplinary team of student researchers through a selective interview process. I served as both project co-lead and mentor, shaping the research vision, translating complex institutional data into an actionable plan, and guiding the team through each phase of analysis and design.
Working closely with Dr. Balleisen, I helped translate broad institutional goals into a focused research agenda by scoping key questions, defining metrics, and aligning the project with the evolving priorities of The Graduate School and the Provost’s Office. I engaged stakeholders throughout to ensure our work remained relevant and actionable. As the primary mentor to our student team, I guided their development in data analysis, visualization, and research communication, emphasizing clarity, rigor, and accessibility. I fostered a collaborative and inclusive environment that encouraged curiosity, critical thinking, and responsiveness to institutional needs—principles that shaped both the process and the final product.
The result was a functional, interactive dashboard that visualized key institutional trends with clarity and nuance. Users could filter by program, discipline, or identity group to explore patterns in mentoring quality, financial support, program climate, and preparation for diverse careers. The tool offered academic leaders a more integrated view of the doctoral experience, enabling more informed decisions than traditional static reports could support. The Graduate School has continued to use the dashboard and methodology as part of its strategic planning efforts, and the project now serves as a model for translating institutional data into tools that are usable, flexible, and designed with end users in mind.
Beyond the technical outcomes, the project created a high-impact research and learning experience for the student team. They gained hands-on exposure to real-world data systems and university decision-making processes, developed technical and analytical skills, and presented their work to senior university leadership—including the Provost’s Office. Just as importantly, they saw how applied research can influence institutional policy and culture.
Ultimately, this work demonstrated the dual power of data science in a higher education setting: as a lever for institutional transformation and as a powerful platform for student learning. By embedding research, mentorship, and policy alignment into a single effort, we created something that was both practical and lasting—a tool that advanced strategic goals, cultivated emerging talent, and deepened Duke’s ability to reflect on and improve the doctoral experience.
📂 Project Materials
Data+ is a 10 week summer research experience that welcomes Duke undergraduates to explore new data-driven approaches to interdisciplinary challenges. Combining statistics with data science to analyze large datasets, this research provided a deep understanding of how doctoral training and education can be improved across Duke University.
