Shirley
Operations Research Associate Consultant, New York Office
Education
PRINCETON UNIVERSITY
B.S.E. in Operations Research and Financial Engineering, 2005
Activities at Princeton: Princeton University Orchestra, Sinfonia, Music Outreach, Webmaster for the Chinese Students’ Association and Hong Kong Students’ Association
Memories of Princeton: Walking in the Wind Tunnel in February and along a magnolia-lined lane in May; precepts on the McCosh lawn in spring; dinner parties during breaks (Winter, Intersession, Spring!) as we seniors do thesis duty; not sleeping for 36 hours and then never wanting to sleep again; free food somewhere every day.
Hometown
Deer Park, NY
ZS Career Path
Operations Research Analyst, 2005
Operations Research Associate Consultant, 2007
On the work
"I recently had the opportunity to work on a forecasting project for a pharmaceutical client looking to invest in some drugs currently being researched by other companies. In order to help them decide which of the drugs had the greatest potential in the market after launch, we created a patient-based forecast model, estimating the number of patients on a drug in any given year and converting them into sales dollars. We arrived at reasonable figures of patient counts through interviewing physicians, as well as reading reports and journal articles on epidemiology. Our financial conversion factors were confirmed after multiple meetings with the client, which were very enlightening. Listening to the client’s take on what is important as well as watching the interaction between principal and client, always provides unparalleled insight on good business sense and successful business relationships.
"Another one of my projects for a pharmaceutical company was to determine the best allocation of sales representative efforts across multiple products relatively diverse in indication. My role involved running regressions to see how physicians respond to different levels of representative detailing for each of the brands, modeling how much effort each product would require on its own, and finally determining how much of the single product effort would be achieved when representatives deal with the entire portfolio. With the opportunity to listen in on interviews with the client’s various brand team leaders, I was able to witness how more qualitative statements can influence a strictly quantitative approach and refine assumptions that may not inherently be captured in the data."
On ZS values
Treat People Right: "I’ve seen a teammate get sick and his consultant pick up the associate work; I’ve had a manager down in the trenches QCing reports with me when my vacation plans intersected with the client deadline. All the time, I witness co-workers staying late hours to help brainstorm ideas or teach someone how to use a tool. To see that ZSers willingly do this, reflects they regard each other not merely as colleagues, but as friends."
On life outside work
"On sunny Saturday afternoons I like to curl up with a good book and nap. On rainy Sunday mornings I like to curl up with a good book and nap. Sometimes, when I’m good, I dust off my violin and tinker with the piano. And when I get bored with home and immobility, I take ballet classes and wander around the city in search of bargains not to be missed, soaking up the ambience of each neighborhood and the roads—or subway cars—in between."
On the New York office
"For a native New Yorker, what’s not to love about New York? Not to be upstaged by the glamour of the city, however, the New York office presents a cozy niche of friendliness, small enough that everyone knows everyone and large enough to find a knowledgeable resource for help. The office coordinates events that explore the richness of the city, from boat cruises of the island to seeing games at Madison Square Garden. ZSers on their own also organize activities, including lunch and dinner gatherings during the week to game nights and shopping trips."