Leah Christian Joins NORC at the University of Chicago as the First-Ever Senior Vice President of Methodology and Quantitative Social Sciences
CHICAGO, Feb. 8, 2021—Leah Christian has joined NORC at the University of Chicago as a senior vice president of the Methodology and Quantitative Social Sciences department.
Christian oversees, develops, and grows NORC’s research activities and methodological capabilities in survey methodology, quantitative social science, advanced analytics, and data science. Her work leads to reliable data and rigorous analysis to guide critical programmatic, business, and policy decisions.
“Leah’s extensive experience and thought leadership are invaluable,” said Susan Paddock, executive vice president and chief statistician at NORC. “As we continue to strive for the strongest possible methodological approach to our work, we’re pleased to have Leah join the team.”
In collaboration with NORC’s Statistics and Data Science department, Christian and her team provide the scientific foundation for NORC’s business concerning the design of its research projects, analysis of data, and the interpretation and dissemination of findings. With a focus on multimode and web first methodologies, questionnaire design, and panel and longitudinal studies, Christian has deep expertise in the field.
“I appreciate NORC’s mission-driven approach to data analysis and methodology,” said Christian. “I look forward to partnering with government, corporate, and nonprofit clients around the world and working cross-functionally to support the wide range of projects and clients NORC has served for decades.”
Christian joins NORC from Nielsen, where she was senior vice president of Data Science and transformed Nielsen’s panel methodology from in-person to multimode, tested new technologies for media measurement such as wearables and mobile apps, and researched approaches to using designed panel data for correcting errors in big data sources. Before Nielsen, Christian was a methodologist at Pew Research Center working on the design and analysis of various political, media, technology, and international survey studies.
A well-respected thought leader, Christian is a co-winner of the prestigious AAPOR Warren J. Mitofsky Innovators Award for web-push data collection methodology. She also served on AAPOR’s Transparency Initiative committee and standards committees and is a co-author of Internet, Phone, Mail, and Mixed-Mode Surveys: The Tailored Design Method.
“Leah’s extensive experience and thought leadership are invaluable.”
About NORC at the University of Chicago
NORC at the University of Chicago conducts research and analysis that decision-makers trust. As a nonpartisan research organization and a pioneer in measuring and understanding the world, we have studied almost every aspect of the human experience and every major news event for more than eight decades. Today, we partner with government, corporate, and nonprofit clients around the world to provide the objectivity and expertise necessary to inform the critical decisions facing society.
Contact: For more information, please contact Eric Young at NORC at young-eric@norc.org or (703) 217-6814 (cell).