Learning Analytics Data Scientist

Role Overview

Assist in creating models and insights that power cutting-edge tools like Course Insights and Elevate. Join a mission-driven, collaborative team dedicated to delivering insights that enhance student success and institutional efficiency across Penn State.

What You Will Do

Design, validate, and deploy predictive and descriptive models to inform institutional strategy. Utilize exploratory data analysis and machine learning to transform raw data into high-level trends and actionable recommendations.

Why It Might Be a Fit

Partner with university leadership to move insights from theory to practice, ensuring findings are translated into intuitive, practical tools for faculty and advisors. Communicate to technical and non-technical stakeholders and audiences on data and methodological questions.

Requirements

• Extensive experience with the Python data stack (pandas, NumPy, etc.) for data cleaning, feature engineering, and high-level statistical modeling.
• A robust background in quantitative methods, including regression, clustering, decision trees, and experimental design.
• Expertise in writing complex SQL queries to extract and manipulate data within relational databases.
• Proven ability to synthesize technical findings into clear, compelling, non-technical narratives for executive-level stakeholders.
• Exceptional attention to detail and a commitment to the ethical use of data in the educational environment.
• Experience with managing production-level data and code through version control and continuous integration/continuous deployment (CI/CD) workflows, such as GitHub Actions, or similar automation tools to manage the model lifecycle

Benefits

• Comprehensive medical, dental, and vision coverage
• Robust retirement plans
• Substantial paid time off
• Holidays, vacation, and sick time
• Generous 75% tuition discount available to employees as well as eligible spouses and children