Senior Research Analyst

JOB TITLE Senior Research Analyst LOCATION Worcester DEPARTMENT NAME Institutional Research & Assessment DIVISION NAME Worcester Polytechnic Institute - WPI JOB DESCRIPTION SUMMARY The Senior Research Analyst strengthens WPI's capacity to use data thoughtfully and effectively in support of academic and administrative decision-making. This position combines institutional research, advanced statistical analysis, and data visualization to answer complex questions that improve student success, academic planning, and institutional effectiveness. The successful candidate is expected to identify meaningful research questions, develop appropriate analytical approaches, validate findings, and communicate results clearly to both technical and non-technical audiences. The analyst will also contribute to expanding the university's predictive analytics capabilities around student success analytics, and other emerging quantitative methods, working with large, complex institutional datasets drawn from multiple institutional data sources. The Senior Research Analyst will join a team that helps campus partners make sense of institutional data, frame meaningful questions, and use evidence to guide decisions. This position is best suited for someone who enjoys both technical analytical work and the relationship-building required to make institutional data usable, trusted, and actionable. JOB DESCRIPTION Responsibilities Institutional Effectiveness: Partner with institutional leaders to define research questions, examine progress on institutional priorities, and conduct quantitative analyses that support strategic planning, accreditation, student success, and institutional decision-making. Data Mining: Apply advanced statistical methods, predictive modeling, machine learning, and exploratory analysis to examine student success, enrollment, course pathways, and other institutional questions. Develop, validate, document, and communicate analytical findings and model results. Support the development of advanced analytical capabilities, including educational data mining. Data Storytelling: Translate complex analyses into clear reports, dashboards, visualizations, and presentations for technical and non-technical audiences. Data Preparation and Management: Extract, integrate, validate, and analyze data from multiple institutional systems while developing reproducible analytical workflows and maintaining clear technical documentation. Survey Research: Support institutional survey administration, data integration, analysis, reporting, and process improvement while collaborating with campus partners to improve institutional effectiveness. Relationship Building: Build collaborative relationships with data stewards, faculty, and administrative offices to improve data quality, analytical capabilities, and evidence-based decision-making across the university. Qualifications Bachelor's degree required; master's degree preferred in…