Please join us in-person for the 9th Analytics Without Borders conference on April 3rd (Friday), 2026 at Nichols College, in partnership with Bentley University, Bryant University and Tufts University. This annual conference series seeks to foster collaboration among diverse analytics communities and serve as a platform for individuals from industry, academia, and government to present and discuss their work. Topics include applied statistics, optimization, data science, and more. We welcome anyone who works with data to share their insights. This year’s conference features keynote and major talks, two career panels, a tutorial session, and a student research competition (see competition details below). We also invite abstracts for talks and poster presentations. The abstract submission and registration are open now.

For faculty and industry presentations, please click HERE to submit your oral presentation abstract.

For student poster session, please click HERE to submit your abstract.

Click HERE to register for the conference. 
Lunch is included with registration. Parking is available at no additional cost with registration.

The conference serves as a platform for individuals involved in various aspects of analytics to present and discuss their work, whether they come from corporate institutions, academia, or government organizations. This event aims to foster collaboration and bridge-building among diverse analytics communities.

The conference covers a wide range of topics in analytics, including applied statistics, optimization, data science, and more. We welcome anyone who works with data to share their insights. The conference sessions will feature a blend of corporate, academic, and government researchers and practitioners. Please join to share your project, experience, and opinion, by submitting your abstract.

We welcome sponsorship opportunities. Please contact Jason Price (Co-Chair) (Jason.Price@nichols.edu ) or Funda Sarican (Co-Chair) (Funda.Sarican@nichols.edu )  directly to discuss levels and benefits. directly. Detailed sponsorship levels and their awards can be notified later.  

We strongly encourage both undergraduate and graduate students to submit their research or side projects. Moreover, we are excited to announce a student research competition during the conference, open to participating graduate and undergraduate students. The top three student projects in each level will receive the prestigious Excellent Student Research Award for AWB 2026 (Amazon Gift Cards). 

Student competition teams ( each team has no more than THREE students), please submit your abstract, team, and major contact person in the abstract submission form and indicate student competition presentation in the presentation preference. All students' competition presentations will be held in parallel tracks and judged by the competition committee. The winners will be announced before the closing of the conference. 

For more details, please contact the chair of the student competition committee below.

Meredith Piotti CPA, CIA, Data Excellence Advocate, Wolf and Co.

Merry is a Principal in Wolf’s Advisory Group and oversees the Firm’s Internal Audit Team, where she provides internal audit, consulting, and risk management services to clients. She also oversees the Firm’s data analytics team—combining operational and technological knowledge to perform model validation reviews, conversion testing, and incorporate analytics into audits. With over 15 years of experience in the field, Merry works with clients to provide full internal audit services, supplement internal audit capabilities, assist with specialized reviews, and develop risk-based audit plans with outsourced and co-sourced internal audit departments.

Merry lives in Bellingham, Massachusetts with her husband and three children. When she’s not at work, she enjoys playing on the Wolf soccer team, spending time outdoors with her family, running, and solving puzzles.

Involvement

• American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA)
• Institute of Internal Auditors (IIA)
• Massachusetts Bank Internal Auditors (MBIA), President
• Massachusetts Society of Certified Public Accountants (MSCPA)
• Nichols College Graduate School, Former Adjunct Professor

Education

• Bachelor of Science in Accounting from Bentley University
• Master of Science in Accounting from Bentley University

Bryan T. Cole , Sr. Analyst, Baseball Sciences at Chicago Cubs

Bryan Cole is the technical lead, biomechanics for the Chicago Cubs.  As a member of the Cubs' baseball science department, Bryan works with players, coaches, trainers, and other stakeholders to generate actionable insights from motion capture, wearable sensors, and other cutting-edge data sources.  Bryan also explores novel technologies for potential applications to improve on-field performance and player development.  Since Bryan joined in 2016, the Cubs have earned a World Series title (their first in over a century), three division championships, and five playoff berths.

Bryan earned a Ph.D. in electrical engineering from Boston University in 2012, with a focus on biomedical signal processing, wearable sensors, and machine learning.  Before joining the Cubs, Bryan wrote for outlets including Baseball Prospectus, The Hardball Times, Beyond the Box Score, and TechGraphs, specializing in the intersection between sabermetrics and technology.  He lives in Northborough, Mass., with his wife and daughter.
 

Dustin Cabral, Sr. Practice Director at Cleartelligence

Dustin Cabral is Senior Practice Director of Data Visualization & Analytics at Cleartelligence, where he leads a team helping clients across healthcare, financial services, and tech turn complex data into clear, actionable insights. With deep expertise across tools like Tableau, Power BI, and Qlik, Dustin has spent his career bridging the gap between technical analytics and real business impact. Beyond his consulting work, he's channeled that passion into teaching — creating and selling Tableau and Alteryx courses that have helped analysts at all levels sharpen their skills. He's also the creator of Chart Champ, Cleartelligence's annual data visualization competition held in Boston. Dustin is based in the Boston area and is always up for a good conversation about where analytics careers are headed.  

Damien Cabral, Co-Founder and President of PrepU

Damien Cabral is the Co-Founder and President of PrepU, a career platform focused on helping college students and early-career professionals land internships and jobs through strategic positioning, proactive outreach, and interview preparation. Through PrepU, he combines hands-on coaching with technology to improve outcomes in an increasingly competitive, data-driven job market. In parallel, Damien serves as a Fractional Chief Marketing Officer, where he helps organizations build scalable marketing systems that drive demand and align marketing with revenue. He previously co-founded TribalVision, a digital agency that grew to serve hundreds of clients before a successful exit. Based in Rhode Island, Damien is actively involved in the academic community as a mentor, speaker, and judge, with a focus on expanding access to career opportunities.  

Seyla Azoz, Ph.D., Yale Ventures Entrepreneur in Residence

Matthew Heally, Associate Director of Emerging Technologies, MassMEP

Cesar Hernandez, Senior Engineering & Data Leader, Lennar Technology Group

Cesar Hernandez leads data and AI engineering at Lennar Technology Group, overseeing teams across Data Engineering, Analytics Engineering, Data Science, and Technical Program Management. He is responsible for architecting and scaling enterprise AI systems that translate raw operational data into actionable intelligence for one of the largest homebuilders in the United States.

At the center of his work is an internal AI-powered intelligence platform that he has built and scaled to serve hundreds of business users across the organization — moving the company from systems of record to systems of context, where data drives real-time decisions at every operational level.

Cesar also leads a large-scale data platform modernization initiative that establishes the foundation powering Lennar’s next generation of predictive and analytical capabilities. His teams develop sales prediction models and market intelligence tools that directly inform business strategy across the enterprise.

With a track record of bridging executive vision and ground-level execution, Cesar brings a practitioner’s perspective to AI development — focused on what it actually takes to build, scale, and sustain AI products inside large, complex organizations.

Speaker: Alper Memioglu, Founder / Analytics Consultant, New Angle Analytics, alper@newangleanalytics.com

Bio: 

Alper is a senior analytics and business intelligence professional with over 15 years of experience spanning SaaS, e-commerce, edtech, and management consulting. He holds an MBA from Boston University and a Tableau Desktop Specialist certification, and has built data strategies and executive dashboards at organizations including FMIC, Berklee Online, and Penn Foster. As the founder of New Angle Analytics LLC, he provides consulting services and creates educational content focused on making analytics tools accessible to aspiring data professionals. For this workshop, Alper brings his analytical expertise together with a personal passion for music, using a custom-built Queen concert history dataset to demonstrate Tableau's core concepts in an engaging, hands-on format.