Rory Boutilier

Data Analyst; Counsellor

Data Analysis and Research


"Information is the oil of the 21st century, and analytics is the combustion engine." - Peter Sondergaard


I have a passion for working with data and doing data analysis, and work as a data analyst where I track KPIs such as retention, revenue, conversion, and engagement in mobile applications. I regularly use tools such as Microsoft Excel, BigQuery, SQL, and R's 'rattle' package for data analysis and machine learning.


Some recent projects I have worked on include:

  • Building a churn prediction model for user retention; predicting when and at which point in the user's lifecycle they are likely to stop using the application.
  • Evaluating the success of various in-app purchases through A/B testing.
  • Overhauling an R ShinyApp to calculate improvement in retention, revenue, and conversion across A/B tests using a Bayesian/MCMC approach.
  • Creating a dashboard to track various KPIs across multiple mobile applications; querying data via BigQuery/SQL and visualizing data in Google Data Studio and Microsoft Excel.
  • Running data samples through a decision tree and logistic regression model to determine the most representative criteria to predict user churn over time.


Independent Research

I have a wide range of research interests however they generally fall into major themes: personality, statistical analysis, non-suicidal self-injury, and text analysis. I am an advocate for open science and conducting research with the intent to make research accessible to the scientific community and to the public free of charge.


Emotional Intelligence and Machiavellianism
This study focuses on the role of emotional intelligence and the Big Five factor of personality in relation to Machiavellianism and desire for control.

I Agree... Sort Of
Using 2 brief measures I am addressing the first two 'sins' of Kuzon et al.'s (1996) 'seven deadly sins of statistical analysis' by comparing parametric and non-parametric approaches.


Text Analysis of Black Metal Lyrics

I collected lyrics from the original bands in the black metal movement in Norway in the 1990's and will conduct text analysis. This project may expand on existing research on aggressive music and behavior. (Thanks Steve!)


Publications


  • Closson, L. M., & Boutilier, R. R. (2017). Perfectionism, academic engagement, and procrastination among undergraduates: The moderating role of honors student status. Learning and Individual Differences, 57, 157 - 162.


Past Projects


  • Personality Differences in Hope and Optimism (LINK)
  • Big Five Personal Factors Machine Learning Algorithm
  • Reasons for Living and Reasons for Dying: Implications for Suicidal Behavior
  • The Effect of Goal Failure and Death Thoughts on Urges to Self-Injure
  • Measuring Perfectionism in an Academic Setting: The Measure of Academic Perfectionism (MAP)
  • Family History of Depression and Parent-Child Conflict as a Predictor of Adolescent Depression​
  • Non-suicidal Self-Injury as an Addiction (literature review)
  • Spatial Navigation and Waypoint Signage in a Local Hospital
  • Where Do People Sit on Public Transit Systems?​


​Counselling practice and research endeavors are kept distinctly separate for professional integrity. I adhere to the Tri-Council Policy Statement and Declaration of Helsinki for research ethics; I hold certifications in TCPS2 and Good Clinical Practice.