Our Team

Leadership and Staff

	Eric Raile Director Dr. Eric Raile is the founding director of Social Data Collection and Analysis Services (Social Data), which began as the HELPS Lab in 2014. He is a professor in the Department of Political Science at Montana State University Bozeman and the co-director of Montana INBRE’s Data Science Core. Dr. Raile has specific expertise in survey research and quantitative analysis but teaches quantitative and qualitative social research methods. He works with Montana INBRE to boost data science training, infrastructure, and workforce development throughout Montana. As a researcher, Dr. Raile is a development and public policy scholar whose recent work focuses on the use of technology to drive economic growth and the transformation of food systems.	eric.raile@montana.edu
	Greta Linse Facility Manager Greta M. Linse has supported Montana State University researchers through Social Data (formerly the HELPS Lab) since 2018, coordinating survey projects, managing professional and student staff, and overseeing core facility operations. She holds Master's degrees in Mathematics and Statistics from Montana State University and is currently pursuing a PhD in Statistics. Her expertise includes statistical programming, survey data analysis and weighting, biostatistics, technical writing, and statistical consulting. Greta has collaborated with researchers, government agencies, nonprofit organizations, and community partners to design studies, analyze data, and communicate results that support evidence-based decision making. She also has more than six years of experience co-teaching workshops in R, Python, and generative AI applications for data science. She is passionate about helping researchers and organizations use data to answer complex questions and inform decision making.	greta.linse@montana.edu
	Sally Slipher Research Staff Statistician Sally is Social Data’s statistical consultant, providing statistical guidance and data analysis across a wide range of research and applied projects since 2020. She has extensive experience developing study designs and analytical approaches for research projects, with expertise in metabolomics, survey analysis, dimension-reduction methods, R programming, and data visualization. She has a master’s degree in statistics from Montana State University and also teaches data science workshops in R, Python, and generative AI.	sallyslipher@montana.edu
	Sara Guenther Evaluation Scientist Sara leads evaluation services at Social Data. Sara earned her Ph.D. in political science from UC San Diego. She brings expertise in causal inference, survey design, and statistical analysis, and over a decade of experience using quantitative and qualitative methods in research and evaluation. She joins Social Data after serving as an Evaluation Specialist for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.	sara.guenther@montana.edu