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Graduate Students Driving Research Innovation

Posted Date: April 6, 2026

Graduate students contribute to the University’s work in many ways, including advancing research support. During this Graduate Student Appreciation Week, we’re spotlighting the role graduate student consultants play in Research Computing and Data Services (RCDS) and in data-intensive and computational projects across Northwestern.

Each year, RCDS integrates a new group of graduate student consultants into its Data Science, Statistics, and Visualization team and its Research Computing Services team. In these roles, students help researchers analyze complex data, refine computational methods, and develop tools that make research more robust and accessible. In the process, they gain hands-on experience with real-world research challenges and an opportunity to broaden their technical and professional skill sets.

Practical Experience That Shapes Careers

Students frequently describe their time with RCDS as one of the most meaningful parts of their graduate training. The program exposes them to disciplines far beyond their home departments and offers regular interaction with researchers from across the University. Many note that they gain not only advanced technical skills but also confidence in working collaboratively, communicating research ideas, and navigating large-scale projects.

Applying to RCDS was one of the best decisions I made during my time at Northwestern. I gained many opportunities to apply and strengthen my programming and statistical skills. At its core, the program emphasizes learning by doing, supporting others across disciplines, and benefiting from dedicated staff mentorship.”

Daniel Encinas Zevallos
Student Consultant in Data Science, Statistics, and Visualization

Former student consultants have gone on to a wide range of careers, including roles in technology, pharmaceuticals, consulting, public-sector research, and academia. Alumni have joined companies such as Microsoft, NVIDIA, GE Aerospace, AstraZeneca, and Amgen, as well as consulting firms and national laboratories. For some, the experience has even opened the door to careers in high performance computing.

The leadership, mentoring, and technical skills have deeply influenced my career trajectory in a positive manner. The mentoring was instrumental in my journey to become a full-time high performance computing (HPC) professional.”

Matt Selensky
Former Computing Support Student Consultant

Driving Research Forward

RCDS student consultants work one-on-one with Northwestern researchers through consultations, project partnerships, and instructional programming. Their contributions include helping design scalable research workflows, developing data visualizations, supporting statistical and computational analyses, and teaching workshops on programming, genomics computing, and other specialized topics.

Because consultants come from diverse academic backgrounds, from political science to computational biology to communication sciences, they collectively broaden the technical and methodological support RCDS can provide. Recent projects include: 

  • Supporting investigative journalism: Graduate students Arne Holverscheid and Yangyang Li partnered with Medill faculty and students to analyze patterns in police use of force during mental health-related 911 calls in major U.S. cities. Their contributions strengthened the statistical rigor and visual clarity of a published data-driven investigation.
  • Bringing AI into behavioral research: Student consultant Jonathan Doriscar collaborated on a psychology project using large language models to support personality trait coding. Together with the research team, he helped design a reproducible workflow that blended automation with careful human interpretation.
  • Strengthening statistical insight: Shuhan Liu collaborated with a researcher in Communication Sciences and Disorders to clarify the interpretation of ordinal regression models in a study on language and truth judgments, and help inform next steps in the project’s analysis.

Building a Stronger Mentorship Model

This year, RCDS deepened its mentorship approach through a partnership with Dr. Bennett Goldberg, faculty director of the Program Evaluation Core. Staff engaged in coaching sessions focused on evidence based mentoring practices and building trust in consultative environments.
RCDS also introduced Data Buddies, a student–staff program that provides a space for informal conversations on technical skills, consulting strategies, and career development.

Together with ongoing workshops and internal training sessions, these efforts help create an environment where students can grow as researchers, instructors, and collaborators.

Learn More

RCDS student consultants make a measurable contribution to research across Northwestern while receiving mentorship that supports their academic and professional growth.

Graduate students interested in learning more about the program can explore:
Profiles of current students are available on the RCDS Meet Our Team page.