Lihui De

Full Name: Lihui De

Grad Year: ​2025

Degree/Program: ​MS in DACSS

Current Title: PhD candidate in Industrial-Organizational Psychology

Current Employer: North Carolina State University

What is the core mission of your role, or what is a major project you are currently working on? I am currently working on my master thesis with my mentor en route to completion of PhD program. My current research interest is the relationship between video games and performances, specifically, how after-work video games session would impact employee’s motivation. 

Could you share the story of how you found this position? Did a specific networking contact, internship, or program resource help open the door? I did research on which schools offered I-O Psychology graduate programs and applied to them. Finally, I decided that NCSU is the best fit for me, mainly because my current lab uses R for data analysis, and I can apply what I learned from DACSS directly to my current program.

Is there a specific skill, methodology, or lesson from your degree that you rely on to do your work successfully?
I would say that I rely on different things I learned from every class from my DACSS degree. Intro to Quantitative Analysis helped me use R with statistical modeling, Survey Methods helped me create better surveys, etc. It is hard to pick one skill out of all the classes that I took from DACSS. 

Looking back, what was a pivotal moment, favorite class, or faculty mentorship during your time in the program that directly shaped how you approach your career today? I would say that every professor I encountered in the DACSS program supported me in meaningful ways. However, Dr. Gross especially provided me with valuable opportunities and guidance. He gave me the opportunity to serve as a graduate TA for his math course, where I was able to help other students with the course material. He also gave me helpful advice about which math skills would be most useful for becoming a stronger data analyst. I have carried that advice with me to NC State, and it continues to influence my academic planning. For example, I am planning to take additional undergraduate-level math courses next year to further strengthen my quantitative background.

In addition to Dr. Gross, many other DACSS faculty members had a meaningful impact on my academic and professional development. When I took DACSS 603, I attended Dr. Pang’s office hours, and she gave me valuable suggestions on how to become a strong Ph.D. student. Dr. Yu provided me with the opportunity to grow as an instructor through his DACSS 602 course. Dr. Stapleton’s survey methods class was both enjoyable and resourceful, and even now, my cohort members sometimes ask me for suggestions on how to design effective surveys. Dr. Yalcin was very patient with me and taught me how to use Python for the first time in my life. Dr. Song’s research methods class was also extremely helpful in strengthening my understanding of validity and reliability. In fact, I still use her way of explaining those concepts in a course that I taught this summer.

Overall, I have to say that completing the DACSS degree at UMass Amherst was a great choice for me. I learned a great deal about how to use R, and I also had the opportunity to meet many fantastic faculty members who truly dedicated their time and effort to helping students grow into stronger data analysts. Even now, I still have “Doing Good with Data” in the “About Me” section of my LinkedIn profile, because that phrase continues to represent what DACSS means to me.

If you could give one piece of advice to a student who is on the fence about starting the MS in DACSS, what would it be? I know that many courses may have flexible attendance policies, but still, go, go to those classes, whether the course is in person or online. The professors put a great deal of effort into preparing useful resources for each class, and many of them also bring a strong sense of humor that makes the material more enjoyable, engaging, and helpful.