Kennesaw State University’s Center for Statistics and Analytical Research received $98,000 from ERMAS Consulting, a business intelligence solutions and data integration firm, to study anti-money laundering and fraud.

As part of the large research grant, Jennifer Priestley, professor of statistics and data science and associate dean of the Graduate College at Kennesaw State, will examine banking and insurance customers in anti-money laundering and fraud analytical models.

“Kennesaw State’s Center for Statistics and Analytical Research houses the ERMAS Data Science Research Lab and part of the lab’s mission is to investigate data-centric business challenges and opportunities as it relates to anti-money laundering and fraud,” said Priestley. “By partnering with the private sector for these research endeavors, the Center is able to perform top-tier research and explore viable solutions faced by various industries today.”

Priestley and her team will focus on the evolving methodologies and techniques in data science, including machine learning, neural networks, deep learning and predictive analytics during the ERMAS study.

An Alpharetta, Ga.-based consulting firm, ERMAS specializes in databases and data warehousing, analytics and risk management, and marketing automation solutions and began partnering with the Center earlier this fall.