^ The highlight of my first week of work with Purdue University’s Institutional Data Analytics + Assessment (IDA+A) office!

It’s an honor to be able to share that I have started my first full-time academic position as the Survey and Measurement Methods Lead for Purdue University IDA+A. This came as a bit of a surprise, but a welcome one, as it kickstarts what I hope to be a career in higher education administration and research to improve the future of academia.

In this role, I’ll be leading the design, execution, and analysis of large-scale surveying practices that engage all types of Purdue constituents (students, faculty, staff, and others). We’re already working on large-scale surveys on topics such as well-being and belonging, advising and inclusive excellence, and more; hence the survey that I just clicked SEND on this week to over 30K students. I’m excited to put to use the skills in psychometrics and assessment that I’ve developed the past few years, especially in the context of higher education leadership, student affairs, and teaching effectiveness.

Some additional context: I’ll be working fully remote, so I’ll still be finishing my PhD at George Mason University and working on our many ongoing exciting research projects in leadership, psychometrics, and the academic-practitioner gap. In fact, we have a really cool announcement coming soon on a new part-time paid research opportunity for George Mason graduate students! Moreover, Purdue has a top-notch I-O program as well, and I’m excited to collaborate with their faculty and students on projects in the future.

Some of you know that I’ve been working the past couple years as a graduate assistant at George Mason in various capacities (GAPSA and the Graduate Division) to help improve graduate education. I’m sad to have to put a pause on my involvement in these areas, but I’m grateful for all their support in this transition and everything that I’ve learned from these experiences!

My new Purdue email is now szhou9@purdue.edu. I can’t wait to continue in this role, and I look forward to all the amazing collaborations to come!