London School of Economics

Alumna, BIOS Centre

Owner - Context Social Research

About

As of 2010 I have left academia for social and market research consulting. Please feel free to get in touch for more details.

BACKGROUND
With over a decade of research experience across a variety of fields, populations and methodologies, I am a flexible researcher equally comfortable completing qualitative or quantitative work.

Academic training in Psychology, Child Development, Neuroscience and Sociology is butressed by over a decade of practical research experience, ranging from commercial social and market reseach (as an independent consultant and with boutique social research consultancies), to the management of an international qualitative project with ADHD children, to high-level analysis of fMRI data at Yale University.

I am particularly skilled working with difficult populations (individuals with mental or physical health difficulties, offenders, high-poverty groups, BAMER, etc) and difficult subject matter (sex, mental health, medications, old age, parenting) - but am an adaptive and capable researcher who excels with all groups. Qualitative research is my current focus.

RESEARCH INTERESTS
Qualitative research for social issues; child mental health policy and practice; qualitative methods; neuroscience, neurotech, pharmaceuticals and self-concept; child clinical psychology; the ethics and politics of widening psychiatric categories and diagnoses; bio-criminality and surveillance; looked-after children; forensic DNA database ethics and management; neuroethics.

ACADEMICS:
I am an interdisciplinary cross-trained scholar of child mental health and the social science of medicine. I received my MSc in Sociology from the London School of Economics in 2008, focusing on the ethical, legal and social implications of modern psychology and neuroscience. I previously obtained research training in neuroimaging (fMRI) at Yale University, where I worked with autistic and typically developing children at the Yale Child Study Center under the supervision of Dr. Robert Schultz [now at UPenn].  My undergraduate training was in neuroscience, clinical psychology and English literature at Kalamazoo College in the United States.

EXPERIENCE
June 2011 - Present: Research Manager, Define Research and Insight
Qualitative research for a variety of commercial and public sector clients. Provides high-quality and insightful research to brief and on deadline.

Nov 2010-June 2011: Senior Research Executive, Define Insight and Research

2010-Present: Owner, Context Social Research
Social and market research for a variety of charity, government and third-sector organisations. Qualitative specialist but methods-neutral.

2010: Research Officer, University of Kent
Outcomes research on looked-after children focusing on relationship development, mental health and self-esteem.

2008-2010: Programme Coordinator, European Neuroscience and Society Network
Served as the Programme Coordinator of the European Neuroscience and Society Network (ENSN), an ESF-funded project which fosters discussion about the ethical and social implications of modern neuroscience. Managed £600,000 budget and 750+ international membership.

2008-2009: Research Officer, VOICES Project (Voices on Children, Ethics and Stimulants), London School of Economics
Funded by the Wellcome Trust, the VOICES project aims to bring the perspectives and experiences of ADHD children into international debates about rising child psychiatric diagnoses and the increasing use of drugs in child psychiatry.  Under the mentorship of Dr. Ilina Singh, I interviewed groups of children across the UK and US about their experiences with stimulant medications and ADHD diagnoses.

2004-2006
Research Assistant, Yale Child Study Centre
Developed, conducted analyzed and reported fMRI studies on social processing in typically developing and autistic children.

2000-2004
Wide variety of quantitative and qualitative research roles in mental health clinics, universities and hospitals. Experience working on studies of leadership, social processing, schizophrenia, social anxiety, autism and cognitive psychology.

Contact Information