Jennifer Hill developed an early interest in math and pursued economics in college. However, after working in the corporate world, she went back to school for graduate degrees from Rutgers and Harvard that allowed her to focus on causal inference and social policy. Currently professor of applied statistics at NYU Steinhardt, Hill has created software that makes it easier for applied researchers to use sophisticated methods in a way that helps them have a deeper understanding of what methods they are using and why. She notes, “Answering real questions with real data is the best and biggest challenge there is.”

