People

Our instructors aren’t just academics—they’re professionals who pivoted from STEM research and professional practice into sports analytics and higher education research.

Albert Cohen

PhD Mathematics, Carnegie Mellon University

Courses: MTH 801 (Fall 2023, Fall 2024, Fall 2025)

Emilio Xavier Esposito

PhD Computational Chemistry, Duquesne University

Courses: STT 834 (Spring 2024, Spring 2026), MTH 803 (Spring 2025, Spring 2026)

Leonard C Johnson

PhD Statistics, Western Michigan University

Courses: STT 832 (Fall 2023, Fall 2024, Fall 2025)

Erin Neaton

PhD Psychology, Michigan State University

Courses: STT 834 (Spring 2024)

Trevor Nill

BS Mechanical Engineering, Michigan State University

Courses: MTH 803 (Spring 2024)

Our guest speakers are practitioners working across teams, leagues, agencies, and media; sharing how analytics actually gets used (and sometimes ignored) in real organizations.

Participation by guest speakers does not imply endorsement of MSU’s Sports Analytics Graduate Certificate.

Brian Lucena, PhD

Principal, Numeristical

Reproducible Models and Sports Betting
Spring 2024

Amelia Probst

Data Scientist, Demand Analytics

Wrangling and Using NFL Data and Career Paths Spring 2024
Ticket Pricing Spring 2026

Chris Fonnesbeck

Principal Quantitative Analyst, Philadelphia Phillies

Wrangling and Using NFL Data and Career Paths Spring 2024

Sarah Rudd

Co-founder and CEO, src | ftbl

Football (Soccer) Data and Career Paths Spring 2024

Nickolas Gatt

Research & Development Analyst, National Hockey League (NHL)

Collecting, Cleaning, and Using NHL Data and Career Paths Spring 2024

Michael Ristich, PhD

Academic Specialist, Writing, Rhetoric, and Cultures, Michigan State University

Using Generative AI in Research
Spring 2025

Erin Neaton, PhD

Clinical Assistant Professor, University of Michigan

Combining Performance Research with On the Field Results
Spring 2025

Scott Smoot

Sports Science Coordinator, Rutgers Football

Athlete Performance Implementation
Spring 2026

Trevor Nill

Founder and CEO, Spartan Analytics Consulting Group

Discussions with Coaches and Leadership
Spring 2026

Connor Smith

Football R&D Analyst, San Francisco 49ers

Life as an R&D Analyst at a Data-Centric NFL Team
Spring 2026

Dr Sana Sinclair

Performance Psychologist

Intersection of Performance Psychology and Analytics in Sports
Spring 2026

Corey Grozier, PhD

Assistant Professor, Department of Kinesiology & Sport Management, Texas Tech University, Lubbock

Job Searching and New Careers: Academia
Spring 2026

Arjun Parmar, PhD

Sport Scientist, Dallas Stars

Job Searching and New Careers: Industry
Spring 2026