Who We Are
The Center for Predictive Analytics is comprised of a diverse staff of faculty, instructors and students.
Carrie Butts-Wilmsmeyer
Director
Carrie is a data scientist and statistical consultant who is the director of the Center for Predictive Analytics and an associate professor in the Department of Biological Sciences at SIUE. As director, Carrie both serves as a data analytics consultant and brings projects to campus to support the training of the next generation of data analysts. Before coming to SIUE, Carrie was a faculty member at the University of Illinois in the Department of Crop Sciences, where she studied (and continues to study) the development of machine learning models that could better predict quantitatively inherited phenotypes based on both genomic and environmental data, as opposed to genomic data alone. Over her career, Carrie has taught courses in statistics and experimental design, statistical genetics, and statistical programming languages. She conducts workshops and leads continuing education courses in data analytics and machine learning that are tailored to individuals who want to learn more about Big Data and how to work with it.
Courtney Breckenridge
Research Fellow - System Strategic Plan
Courtney fosters multidisciplinary partnerships across the SIU System and the Illinois Innovation Network. She oversees all reporting and helps craft updates pertaining to the System Strategic Plan, writes collaborative grants, and helps to network with researchers across the State of Illinois and the St. Louis Metro Area. Her background is in Mass Communications, and she is currently pursuing a PhD in Environmental Resources and Policy. Over her career, she has worked in workforce training, writing, and politics, and she helps to translate complex data outcomes into actionable policies.
Kristine Hildebrandt
Faculty Fellow, 2022 - 2023
Kristine is a Professor of English Language at SIUE. After earning her Master's from Arizona State University, Kristine pursued her PhD in Linguistics at the University of California, Santa Barbara. During her time as a Faculty Fellow at C-PAN, Kristine has worked on a collaborative, interdisciplinary team to address broadband access as part of the Illinois Broadband READY program. As part of this grant, Kristine worked directly with community stakeholders to identify barriers to equitable internet access and opportunity, and helped turn this data into actionable outcomes.
Marlon Tracey
Faculty Affiliate, 2021 - Present
Marlon is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Economics and Finance. Dr. Tracey specializes in cause-effect studies and uses econometrics and data science techniques to understand how external factors lead to different economic outcomes. In addition to his work at SIUE, Dr. Tracey volunteers his time by analyzing the open source data provided by the St. Louis Regional Data Alliance in search of ways to help the St. Louis region grow and prosper.
Emily Petruccelli
Faculty Affiliate, 2021 - Present
Emily is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Biological Sciences. Dr. Petruccelli is a neuroscientist and geneticist who specializes in bioinformatics and its applications. Currently, she is studying alcohol's impact on neurobiological processes. When she's not in the lab, Dr. Petruccelli is hard at work finding new ways to visualize complex biological data, and is an expert on the most recent R packages.
https://www.siue.edu/~epetruc/
Milena Di Blasi
Undergraduate Data Science Intern
Milena is a Sophomore studying Biochemistry with a minor in Computer Science at SIUE. Knowledgable of both programming languages and biological impacts, Milena works on projects that bring together big data and the health sciences in order to create recommendations for health care professionals.
Ugo Eleonu
Undergraduate Data Science Intern
Ugo is a junior studying mechanical engineering and mechanatronics at SIUE. Already well-versed in Python and learning TensorFlow, Ugo is working on machine learning and image recognition projects, particularly as this relates to the creation of sustainable environmental systems.
Riwaz Poudel
Undergraduate Data Science Intern
Riwaz is a sophmore majoring in Computer Science at SIUE. He currently works on data science projects, particularly those with a humanitarian impact.
