Seth is a senior research director at NORC at the University of Chicago, where he leads large, complex, and innovative research projects. He blends deep methodological expertise with a proven track record of successful team leadership, project management, and client engagement. Seth has experience developing and managing all aspects of research projects, including survey development, sample design and management, multi-mode data collection, quality assurance and quality control, contract and financial management, data processing and tabulation, statistical analysis, and methodological reporting. He has directed numerous large-scale, nationally representative household surveys for a variety of public and private sector clients across all modes of data collection. Seth is responsible for delivering all project requirements on time and on budget. He has over 15 years of experience in research operations, systems, and survey methodologies.

Seth plays several key roles supporting the National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics’ (NCSES) efforts to establish a National Secure Data Service (NSDS). He serves as the project manager for the Measuring Large Language Model (LLM) Understanding of Federal Statistical Data initiative, which aims to develop an empirical evaluation that measures the ability of large language models (LLMs) to accurately respond to questions requiring an understanding of federal statistical open government data assets and their associated metadata. The project will produce a tool for assessing LLM performance, while also identifying how well federal data assets are structured to support LLM interaction, highlighting opportunities to improve metadata quality, accessibility, and machine-readability. This work will help federal statistical agencies optimize how they publish their data and metadata so that AI tools like ChatGPT, Gemini, and Claude can accurately cite and use federal statistical data when responding to user questions. In addition, Seth serves as the user support task lead for the Secure Compute Environment Testbed (SCET), a project developing a secure computing environment that will serve as a cornerstone of future NSDS data linkage and access infrastructure. He also was the project director for the Models for a Data Concierge Service, which developed a set of concierge service models aimed at providing data users with technical assistance related to discovering, accessing, and using federal data assets.

Finally, he is the project director for NORC’s work to build SPACE City, a scientifically rigorous, community-driven panel of Houston residents. This panel provides policymakers, service providers, researchers, and elected officials with high-quality data on the experiences, behaviors, and views of people across the Houston area. Seth also continues to serve as a technical and business lead on a range of large proposal efforts, drawing on his survey methods and financial management expertise.

Prior to joining NORC, Seth directed many high-profile nonpartisan public opinion polls, including all ABC News and Washington Post polling operations. In this position, he was responsible for providing all project deliverables under tight deadlines. The ABC News/Washington Post polls adhere to rigorous methodological standards in data collection. Seth led a team of six staff members in conducting monthly polls, state-level polls, and pre-election tracking polls. Seth maintained all communication with ABC News and Washington Post staff and vendors to ensure operational alignment, and he collaborated closely with client staff to continually improve sample design and administration through ongoing operational and statistical review of survey data.