Applied data scientist and computational humanities researcher exploring language and text through code. My research focuses on authorship attribution and computational literary analysis. My teaching emphasizes reproducible, hands-on learning in data analytics, visualization, and the humanities, while my projects include R packages, educational resources, and tools that bridge R and Python development. I also blog about methods, visualization, and the occasional detour into life.
About me
From Ohio, via Scotland, for many years, in spite of a stubborn accent that once apparently fit nowhere, and until August 2024, I called Louisiana home. From 2017 until 2024, I was the Ann Petry Endowed Professor of English at Grambling State University, where I taught writing, literature, and data analytics. Now living in Chicago, I work as a Data Science Mentor with Posit while seeing where the winds blow.
I like to run, and I love dogs, but the second is done vicariously and the first with slapstick injury. When not working, I often travel for research, to family, or with friends. I used to sing with the Calton Consort, whom I miss, but I’ve recently begun singing with Allegrezza, which I greatly enjoy. I am a past president of the International Lawrence Durrell Society and remain active on its executive board.
Skills and Technologies
- Programming: R, Python, LaTeX
- Data Science: Machine learning, NLP, statistical modeling, text mining, topic modeling, stylometry, network analysis, sentiment analysis
- Tools: Git/GitHub, Quarto, AWS (Cloud Practitioner Certified, August 2025)
- Teaching: Data analytics, visualization, big data, literature
Education
- Ph.D.
- English Literature
- The University of Edinburgh | Edinburgh, Scotland
- November 2007
- M.Sc.
- Writing and Cultural Politics
- The University of Edinburgh | Edinburgh, Scotland
- November 2003
- B.A.
- English (Creative Writing) and Music
- Denison University | Granville, Ohio
- May 2002