• Profile
• Education
• Computer and Language Skills
• Research Experience
• Work Experience
• Volunteer Work Experience & Extra-curricular projects
• Publications
• Interests & Hobbies

Eric Hortop

Profile

• Versatile, curious and creative problem-solver.
• Technologically savvy and quick to learn and explain new systems.
• Experienced in record linkage and disclosure control as well as many elements of mainstream survey methodology.
• Communicates and collaborates well with a variety of clients, partners and audiences.

Education

2007

Magesteriate in Science (Mathematics & Statistics)

Focusing on applied combinatorics, group theory and geometry
Thesis title: A Symmetry-Group Semantics for Shape Grammars: Lattice Methods for the Classification of Strand-based Patterns
Graduated with distinction (3.42 GPA)

Concordia University, Montréal, QC

2004

Baccalaureate in Arts

Majors: Mathematics & Statistics (co-op); Communications; minor: Print Media
Graduated with distinction (3.47 GPA)

Concordia University, Montréal, QC

1999

Diploma of Collegial Studies (DEC) in Creative Arts

Concentrations in Mathematics, Communications and Fine Arts. Graduating average: 88%

Dawson College, Westmount, QC

Computer and Language Skills

Research and Statistical Work Experience

2013 – present

Methodologist: MA-03

Household Survey Methods Division, Statistics Canada, Ottawa ON
Methods for Justice, Health Analysis and Health Measures section, Canadian Health Measures Survey (CHMS) unit

• Worked on sampling and frame verification for collection sites in Cycle 3 of the CHMS, including making improvements to the tracking of changes to the frame and increasing the specificity of certain frame verifications.
• Investigated disclosure control concerns with the CHMS data dictionaries released under the Data Liberation Initiative. Made recommendations to reduce disclosure risk which will be implemented going forward.
• Authored a reference document (forthcoming) on disclosure control and data quality for researchers working with CHMS data.
• Provided ongoing support to the methodologists working with the Canadian Cancer Registry.
• Represented Methodology on the Research Data Centres Vetting Committee: provided advice and support to RDC analysts on vetting complex cases, provided training and materials on confidentiality-related topics to analysts and researchers.

2007 – 2012

Methodologist: MA-02 and MA-03

Household Survey Methods Division, Statistics Canada, Ottawa ON
Methods for Justice, Health Analysis and Health Measures section, Statistical Analysis and Data Integration unit
(2008 and before: unit was part of Health Statistics Methods section)

• Recruited as a MA-02, promoted to MA-03 in December 2008.
• Worked on record linkages between administrative data and survey sources, both as part of the Longitudinal Health Administrative Data (LHAD) project and for other clients, notably the Canadian Foreces Cancer and Mortality Study, the Canadian Coroner and Medical Examiner Database and the Canadian Cancer Registry. As part of this work, provided testing and feedback for G-Link software and helped develop a “late mapping” strategy for coping with uncertain links, implemented in the LHAD link manager.
• As a member of the Record Linkage Resource Centre, provided advice and training in probabilistic record linkage techniques to clients and audiences internal and external to Statistics Canada.
• Provided extensive disclosure control support to the Canadian Cancer Registry for CANSIM incidence tables: redesigned a basic two-dimensional cell suppression program to process higher-dimensional tables and designed tests to verify protection, then with the advent of G-Confid, applied it to complex tables for use in Health Indicators, providing options for table design that take disclosure control into account.
• Represented Methodology on the Research Data Centres Vetting Committee: provided advice and support to RDC analysts on vetting complex cases, provided training and materials on confidentiality-related topics to analysts and researchers, developed pilot administrative data guidelines for the Canadian Vital Statistics Database.
• Worked on verifications of estimates for Canadian Vital Statistics and Canadian Health Measures Survey.
• Helped make efficiency and data-quality improvements to the process for generating Postal Code Conversion Plus packages.
• Presented Methodology to university students as part of post-secondary recruitment in 2009.

2002 – 2007

Researcher/Programmer/Co-ordinator

Hexagram Institute for Research and Creation in Media Arts and Technologies (Advanced Digital Imaging axis), Montréal, QC.

• Contributed to development of a system to extract and represent patterns and recursion structures from electronic representations of Moroccan Zillij mosaics and Congolese Kuba cloth. Jointly planned and implemented a Web-capable shape database prototype.
• Co-presented work at Virtual Systems and Multimedia 2003, Subtle Technologies 2004, Information Visualization 2004, 24 Heures de Science (2006) Hexagram/Concordia inauguration (2006) and Bridges 2006.
• Assisted in planning and preparation of successful grant applications to FQRSC, SSHRC and Hexagram.
• Collaborated with researchers and technologists from the Centre for Pattern Recognition and Machine Intelligence (Concordia), Canal Savoir and Simbioz.

2001

Assistant Methodologist (co-op, GA-02)

Social Survey Methods Division, Statistics Canada, Ottawa, ON
Address Register and Geography Methods section

• Researched and designed improvements based on shape parameters and computational geometry for the Generalized Area Delineation System (GArDS): software for dividing areas into sampling units based on user-defined requirements. Planned and ran quality control and testing on GArDS’ and other programs’ i/o files.
• Documented suggested improvements as well as some existing components of GArDS.

2001

Assistant Methodologist (co-op, GA-02)

Social Survey Methods Division, Statistics Canada, Ottawa, ON
Census Research Section

• Updated and ran performance tests for census edit & imputation software in SAS.
• Debugged, reworked and expanded existing C++ geographic sort software, optimizing complexity, improving random number generation and verifying improvements.

2000 – 2001

Researcher and Macro Programmer

Acorda Design Integration, Verdun, QC

• Participated in the creation of a syllabic font package for Northern Quebec (Nunavik) Inuit dialect.
• Researched WorldScript and Unicode text handling.
• Created font conversion Word macro.

Other Work Experience

2006

Teaching Assistant, Mathematics with Computer Algebra (2 sections) and The Fascinating World of Numbers

Faculty of Arts and Science (Mathematics and Statistics department) Concordia University, Montréal, QC

• Assisted with computerized aspects of lectures, lectured on graphing, calculus and symmetry groups and assisted students with term work and exam prep.
• Maintained course web site.
• Graded class tests.

2004 – 2005

Teaching Assistant, Introduction to Digital Communications Media

Faculty of Arts and Science (Communications Studies department) Concordia University, Montréal, QC

• Planned and ran image processing, UNIX, HTML and CSS workshops, created accompanying documentation.
• Advised students on practical and theoretical aspects of digital media.
• Participated in the creation and grading of exams and assignments.

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Volunteer Work Experience & Extra-Curricular Projects

2006 – 2007

Director, Arts and Science (Science), sitting on GSA council, Student Tribunal Pool and Universirty Health and Safety Committee

Graduate Students' Association, Concordia University

2005 – 2007

Peer Support volunteer (listening and referral), trained in client-centred Rogerian approach.

Concordia Multi-Faith Chaplaincy (under Concordia University Dean of Students Office)

2003 – 2005

Literacy Tutor and Organizational Committee Member

Concordia Students for Literacy, working with Tyndale St. Georges Community Centre and Frontier College

2002 – 2003

Student Representative to Academic Programs Committee

University Senate Subcommittees, Concordia University, Montréal, QC

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Publications

• Rajagopalan, Ramgopal, Eric Hortop, Dania El-Khechen, Cheryl Kolak Dudek, Lydia Sharman, Fred Szabo, Thomas Fevens and Sudhir Mudur. “Interface and Design in Kuba and Zillij Art with Shape Grammars”. Bridges London 2006: Mathematical Connections in Art, Music and Science Conference proceedings, Hertfordshire (UK): Tarquin, August 2006. pp 419–428
• Bhakar, Sushil, Eric Hortop, Cheryl Kolak Dudek, Lydia Sharman and Fred Szabo. “Textiles, Patterns and Technology: Digital Tools for the Geometric Analysis of Cloth and Culture”. Textile: A Journal of Cloth and Culture, Berg, Oxford, UK, Fall 2004. pp 308–327
• Kolak Dudek, Cheryl, Lydia Sharman, Fred E. Szabo, Sushil Bhakar, Eric Hortop, Yun Li, Wumo Pan. “From Ethno-mathematics to Generative Design: Metapatterns and Interactive Methods for the Creation of Decorative Art”. In proceedings of Information Visualization Conference 2004, London, UK, July 2004. pp 941–946

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Interests & Hobbies

Cycling, yoga, computing (programming, markup, graphics), art (print, digital, drawing and appreciation), board games, design, cooking.

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The latest version of this document can be found at: http://www.metawidget.net/resume.html