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Rice University Interview Questions

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You are testing hundreds of hypotheses with many t-tests. What considerations should be made?

What is a key disadvantage of the F-test when compared to multiple t-tests?

What is a key disadvantage of the F-test when compared to multiple t-tests?

Hundreds of Hypotheses

You are testing hundreds of hypotheses with many t-tests. What considerations should be made?

Let’s say that your company is running a standard control and variant AB test on a feature to increase conversion rates on the landing page. The PM checks the results and finds a .04 p-value.

How would you assess the validity of the result?

Experiment Validity

In an A/B test, how can you check if assignment to the various buckets was truly random?

In an A/B test, which of the following is a common method to determine if the assignment to the test groups was truly random?

In an A/B test, which of the following is a common method to determine if the assignment to the test groups was truly random?

Random Bucketing

Rice University Salaries by Position

Job Description Special Instructions to Applicants: All interested applicants should attach a cover letter and a resume in the Supporting Documents section of the application. We suggest the documents be in a PDF format to avoid formatting issues. To be considered for this position, all supplemental questions must be answered. About Rice Boasting a 300-acre tree-lined campus in Houston, Texas, Rice University is ranked among the nation's top 20 universities by U.S. News & World Report. Rice has a 6-to-1 undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio, and a residential college system, which supports students intellectually, emotionally and culturally through social events, intramural sports, student plays, lectures series, courses and student government. Developing close-knit, diverse college communities is a strong campus tradition, which is why Rice is highly ranked for best quality of life and best value among private universities. Rice is also a wonderful place to work. Rice faculty, staff and students share values that are essential to our success as a healthy community. Those values guide our decisions and behaviors and shape Rice's culture. They come through in the way we treat each other and the welcome we extend to our visitors. These values can be recalled simply by our name - RICE - Responsibility, Integrity, Community and Excellence. Position Summary The Kinder Institute for Urban Research aims to improve lives through data, research, engagement, and action. The institute is currently working to build out five research centers focused on critical aspects shaping the social and cultural landscape of the Houston area. The five centers will research housing, education, public health, economic mobility and inequality, and population dynamics. Each center will investigate its particular topic area and will work across centers.To achieve this, each center is building interdisciplinary teams specializing in solutions-oriented research while using a research-practice partnership (RPP) model to jointly design, develop, and conduct research that values diversity in expertise and prioritizes the community in identifying and addressing some of the most pressing questions and challenges facing Houston to inform decision-making and bring about change in the region. As part of this build-out, the Kinder Institute for Urban Research is seeking a full-time research analyst to join its Economic Mobility team and further its vision of improving lives in Houston by bringing data and research to decision-makers. Focal areas include economic mobility and inequality, education, housing, population dynamics, and public health. The research analyst will assist with developing research questions, collecting data (as needed), analyzing data, and presenting research findings. Research analysts may supervise and guide student research assistants as well. The research analyst is expected to attend weekly staff and research team meetings. Ideal candidates work well in a team environment, actively collaborate, and can motivate others. They have superior scientific and numerical skills, meticulous attention to detail and accuracy. Workplace Requirements This position is offered as a hybrid role, combining both in-office and remote work within Harris County and surrounding counties to provide flexibility and support collaboration. Per Rice policy 440, work arrangements may be subject to change. This is a full-time, benefits-eligible position, and the hiring salary is $65,500 - $68,500 annually, contingent on qualifications and experience. *Exempt (salaried) positions under FLSA are not eligible for overtime. Minimum Requirements <ul> <li>Bachelor's degree (or foreign equivalent) in sociology, economics, other social science, or related field and completion of a University-level course, thesis, dissertation AND</li> <li>Two years of experience in the following: <ul> <li>Data maintenance and analysis;</li> <li>Maintaining quality control standards;</li> <li>Quantitative methodology; and</li> <li>Stata, SAS, or R. </li> <li>In lieu of the education/experience requirement, additional related education and/or experience, above and beyond what is required, may be substituted on an equivalent year-for-year basis. </li> </ul></li> <li>Skills <ul> <li>Knowledge of software statistical packages such as Stata, SAS, R, or HLM</li> <li>Excellent analytical and research skills</li> <li>Ability to build reports</li> <li>Excellent verbal and written communication skills, including proofreading</li> <li>Excellent presentation skills</li> </ul></li></ul> Preferences <ul> <li>PhD degree (or foreign equivalent) in economics and one year of experience in the following: </li> <li>Data maintenance and analysis;</li> <li>Maintaining quality control standards;</li> <li>Quasi-experimental econometric studies such as regression discontinuity designs (sharp and fuzzy); and</li> <li>Stata, SAS, or R. </li></ul> Essential Functions <ul> <li>Assists with research projects, including in the design and planning of research questions, and participates in data collection and analysis, as well in the dissemination and communication of findings</li> <li>Identifies, locates, and obtains data and information necessary for conducting research projects </li> <li>Uses quantitative and/or qualitative methodologies from the social sciences </li> <li>Maintains and implements quality control standards for varying research projects</li> <li>Facilitates planning, scheduling, execution, and completion of research projects</li> <li>Runs statistical analyses using standard statistical methods and techniques </li> <li>Codes and analyzes qualitative data to derive meaning from in-depth interviews or focus groups </li> <li>Utilizes appropriate statistical software programs to conduct research </li> <li>Verifies the accuracy and replicability of data analysis using scientific and numerical skills </li> <li>Interprets and communicates research findings for various audiences and publications, including research briefs, journals, manuscripts, professional conferences, and data visualization graphics </li> <li>Performs all other duties as assigned</li></ul> Additional Functions <ul> <li>Design and implement advanced econometric analysis by applying machine learning methods or quasi-experimental research design such as regression discontinuity and synthetic differences-in-differences.</li> <li>Design and implement randomized controlled trials, including, but not limited to, blocked and clustered designs. </li> <li>Manage individuals collecting data in field work. </li></ul> Working Conditions <ul> <li>Occasional travel </li> <li>Evening and/or weekend work as needed</li></ul> Kinder Institute for Urban Research https://kinder.rice.edu/ Rice University HR | Benefits: https://knowledgecafe.rice.edu/benefits Rice Mission and Values: Mission and Values | Rice University Rice University is an Equal Opportunity Employer committed to diversity at all levels and considers for employment qualified applicants without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national or ethnic origin, genetic information, disability, or protected veteran status.

Job Description

Special Instructions to Applicants:  All interested applicants please attach a cover letter and resume in PDF format.

About Rice:

Boasting a 300-acre tree-lined campus in Houston, Texas, Rice University is ranked among the nation's top 20 universities by U.S. News & World Report. Rice has a 6-to-1 undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio and a residential college system, which supports students intellectually, emotionally, and culturally through social events, intramural sports, student plays, lecture series, courses, and student government. Developing close-knit, diverse college communities is a strong campus tradition, which is why Rice is highly ranked for best quality of life and best value among private universities.

Rice is also a wonderful place to work. Rice faculty, staff, and students share values that are essential to our success as a healthy community. Those values guide our decisions and behaviors and shape Rice's culture. They come through in the way we treat each other and the welcome we extend to our visitors. These values can be recalled simply by our name - RICE - Responsibility, Integrity, Community, and Excellence.

Position Summary:

Under the leadership of the Director of Strategic Analytics, the Business Analyst will be responsible for analyzing and interpreting data related to Rice University's development and fundraising efforts from corporations and foundations. This person will serve as a consultant to the Office of Corporate and Foundation Relations (OCFR) and will work with various data sources and tools to conduct extensive analytical evaluations of corporate partner and foundation engagement with Rice, with the goal of augmenting a holistic OCFR strategy.

A key responsibility of this role will be a focus on data integration: collaborating on the design to meet end user needs, assessing the project scope with technical teams, and managing the execution of the integrations to ensure seamless data flow across multiple systems. The Business Analyst will collaborate with campus partners involved with data information systems, including Development and Alumni Relations, the Office of Corporate and Foundation Relations, the Office of Research, the Enterprise Data and Business Intelligence team and others across the university. Through data mining, reporting and dashboard development, industry benchmarking, and one-off analyses, the Business Analyst will be responsible for guiding the OCFR team on various strategies that will lead to success in increasing corporate and foundation engagement at Rice University, aligned with the university's newly unveiled strategic plan.

The ideal candidate will have experience in data mapping and analyzing complex data sets to produce analyses for consumption by a variety of non-technical users. The candidate will be knowledgeable about industry standards, understand potential business opportunities and their impact, and is able to facilitate ongoing partnerships between Development and Alumni Relations, the Office of Corporate and Foundation Relations, the Office of Research, Enterprise Data and Business Intelligence and other campus partners. The Business Analyst will use innovative methods to turn user needs into processes, analyses, and reports that improve understanding of corporate and foundation engagement at Rice quality.

Minimum Requirements:
Bachelor's Degree with emphasis in data analysis, mathematics, statistics, financial analysis or relevant coursework
2+ years of related experience in data analysis, data modeling, data engineering, statistical modeling and/or analytics, with a history of producing readable, informative analyses for a variety of non-technical users
Skills:      Excellent analytical and creative problem-solving skills
Excellent listening skills
Proficient document and specification skills to share information in a clear and concise manner
Strong communication and presentation skills
Displays good judgment in dynamic situations
Ability to work collaboratively in a team environment across multiple departments
Values attention to detail
Utilizes strong time management skills
Proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite
Knowledge of advancement database software concepts and related programs
Preferences:     Three or more years of related experience described above
Experience working for an institution of higher education, non-profit organization, or corporation in data analytics or a related field
Understanding of data integrations and experience managing data flow across systems
Experience with Tableau, Power BI or other data visualization tools
Experience with CRMs (e.g. Blackbaud CRM) or research grant proposal systems (e.g. Cayuse)
Experience analyzing and synthesizing complex data sets to produce readable, informative analyses for consumption by a variety of non-technical users
Knowledge of fundraising best practices and strategies
Strong SQL query skills to extract and transform data from a variety of sources such as Oracle cloud (Microsoft SQL Server preferred)
Understanding of data mining and data management tools and techniques
Essential Functions:     Create a comprehensive OCFR data strategy to identify and gather corporation and foundation engagement data from multiple systems across campus to be stored in one centralized system (Blackbaud CRM) through constant collaboration with the OCFR team, campus partners, and the Development Information Services team
Manage and monitor data integrations to ensure seamless data flow across systems (namely Cayuse and Blackbaud CRM)
Approach problem solving with creativity, innovation and resilience
Analyze fundraising data (e.g. donations, research grants, event attendance, etc.) and compare historical trends and peer benchmarks, and present insights to stakeholders in a clear and concise manner, all aimed at furthering Rice University's newly launched strategic plan
Conduct analyses on current and prospective Presidential Partner companies (Rice's most engaged corporate partners), finding and communicating relevant information in a readable format to campus partners
Develop and maintain dashboards and reports using data visualization tools such as Tableau and Power BI
Utilize Microsoft SQL to query and manage large datasets
Assist in recommending technical systems necessary to meet the strategic goals of corporate and foundation engagement at Rice
Study, recommend and implement new techniques to convey data in an impactful format for various audiences
Serve as a premier business analyst/consultant to non-technical staff, working as an "analytics translator" to convey complex insights in a way that is understandable to non-technical stakeholders
Effectively articulate corporate relations data needs to campus partners
Maintain knowledge of industry trends and standards in fundraising
Perform all other duties as assigned
Additional Functions:     Occasional contact within the university with faculty, deans and administrators, including the president and provost in writing, in person and by telephone
Frequent contact with senior development staff and development officers in writing, in person, over Zoom and by telephone
Occasional contact with corporate personnel and alumni at corporations
Occasional contact with outside research sources (e.g., libraries, information specialists, etc.)
Open office environment
Long hours in front of a computer

Rice University HR | Benefits: https://knowledgecafe.rice.edu/benefits-overview

Rice Mission and Values: Mission and Values | Rice University

Rice University is an Equal Opportunity Employer committed to diversity at all levels and considers for employment qualified applicants without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national or ethnic origin, genetic information, disability, or protected veteran status.

Rice University is committed to ensuring Equal Employment Opportunity and the full inclusion of all qualified persons in the workplace. This commitment includes providing reasonable accommodations to persons with disabilities. For applicants with disabilities who require a reasonable accommodation for any part of the application or hiring process, please contact Rice University's Disability Resource Center at 713-348-5841 or adarice@rice.edu for support.

Rice University Interview Questions

Rice University Interview Guides

Rice University Interview Questions

Rice University Salaries by Position

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