Get to Know Our Community: Brandon Signorino

I am part of a team of five folks at Butler; each of us has certain areas we focus on. My primary areas of responsibility include internal employee data (both staff and faculty) along with any external reporting based on that data and survey data analysis (surveys we administer to Butler employees and/or students).

Name: Brandon Signorino
Title: Data Analyst, Office of Institutional Research and Assessment
Organization: Butler University

Can you describe your current role in institutional research and how it supports your institution’s mission?

I recently gave my first-ever presentation at a professional conference, and it went well to boot! At the 2026 conference of the Indiana chapter of AIR (INAIR), I gave a two-pronged presentation on AI: a process I have developed using generative AI to assist in qualitative survey data analysis, along with my data-backed environmental concerns related to the data centers that enable this technology. It was well-received and I hope to bring this presentation to next year’s AIR Forum.

What sparked your interest in institutional research, and how has your career evolved since then?

Before I started working in IR, I worked for years providing administrative support to the Dean of Libraries and the other library staff & faculty while supervising another administrative support person. One of my many “other duties as assigned” was to support our HLC re-accreditation process by managing our supporting data, consisting of over 500 evidence files. Being so heavily involved in this assessment-related process temporarily placed me adjacent to our IR team. Coupling that with my years of library data management (traffic counts, budget & spending, etc.) and fielding ad-hoc data requests uniquely prepared me for my IR role.

What’s one project or accomplishment in your IR work that you’re especially proud of—and why?

I recently gave my first-ever presentation at a professional conference, and it went well to boot! At the 2026 conference of the Indiana chapter of AIR (INAIR), I gave a two-pronged presentation on AI: a process I have developed using generative AI to assist in qualitative survey data analysis, along with my data-backed environmental concerns related to the data centers that enable this technology. It was well-received and I hope to bring this presentation to next year’s AIR Forum.

What do you find most rewarding (or enjoyable) about working in IR?

It is rewarding to know that my daily work goes to support something I care deeply about: educating the new generations of Indiana, US, and world citizens. I think it is important to have an educated and well-rounded populace.

The thing I find the most enjoyment in is that nearly every analytical project is like building a jigsaw puzzle where the final image is fuzzy or pixelated at best. The problem-solving aspect is both interesting and gratifying!

When you’re not working with data, how do you like to spend your time?

I spend a lot of time volunteering with the German American Klub of Indianapolis. I help plan and execute culture-related events and programming like Frühlingsfest (“spring festival”) and Oktoberfest. I have also given several presentations during our KulturAbend (“cultural evening”) events, where we have folks talk about various aspects of German culture; mine have been on music – specifically rock and metal – coming from German-speaking countries. My next one will be a deep-dive into Scorpions and their music & history spanning over fifty years.

What’s something about you—personal or professional—that might surprise your colleagues?

I think many folks would be surprised to know that I am a heavy metal musician! I have been playing in bands (primarily guitar) in the Indianapolis scene for over twenty years. (This is part of why I have the appropriate knowledge to present on music for the German American Klub.) My previous band, Lavaborne, released our full-length album Black Winged Gods in 2021; people said we sounded like ‘70s Judas Priest and ‘80s Black Sabbath. My active band is called Scorched Earth; people generally compare our sound to legendary Brazilian metal band Sepultura (especially their ‘90s albums). We are currently gigging and refining material for an eventual full-length release in the next year or two, but folks can find our demo Demolition on Bandcamp and our new single called “No Time to Bleed” will be coming very soon (sometime in June) to all the streaming services and such.