SHIFT INSIGHT - Key Persons
Alex edits and proofreads across the breadth of material that Shift Insight produces, ensuring our reports are interesting and engaging. He looks at reports, presentations, proposals, guides and recruitment emails, as well as organising the case studies process - maintaining consistency of tone and accuracy throughout. Crucially, he works closely with the research team to keep our insights clear for our clients.
Alex graduated from the University of Exeter with an MA in history, where he specialised in the history of sciences. He works as a freelance editor and proofreader alongside his part-time role at Shift. He has previous experience at research companies, and has freelanced across sectors and industries. He regularly works on non-fiction books about music.
Andy works in a support capacity at Shift on a range of projects using qualitative and quantitative methods. He is involved in recruitment, interviewing, coding and data processing and has worked on projects for the University of Southampton, Kogan Page and King's College London.
Andy recently completed an undergraduate degree in Psychology at the University of Hertfordshire. His final research project centred around exploring executive functioning and its relationship with paranormal beliefs. Throughout his academic journey, he employed a combination of quantitative and qualitative research methods, developing an interest in social, user and market research. Prior to joining Shift, Andy worked in healthcare as a support worker.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Market Research Society
- Senior Research Manager
Caroline joined Shift Insight in spring 2022 as a Senior Research Manager, specialising in qualitative and mixed-method projects. Caroline has 14 years' research experience gained as both an independent and a client-side researcher specialising in the education, skills and training sectors. Before joining Shift Insight, Caroline worked as a research consultant for a variety of clients, including Pearson, City & Guilds and NCFE.
In Caroline's previous work as a Research Manager at Pearson, she engaged with a wide range of senior stakeholders in order to deliver a high standard of research outcomes for the business. Caroline worked on projects across all levels of education from primary through to secondary, FE and HE, focusing on qualifications and courseware. Caroline has extensive experience of qualitative research methods, including focus group moderation and co-creation workshops, combined with analysis, report writing and de-brief presentations. Additionally, Caroline has experience of research panel management, and in 2018 co-developed and delivered an in-house research training programme for product managers at Pearson.
Caroline is a member of the Market Research Society and Association of Qualitative Research, and holds the MRS Advanced Certificate in Market and Social Research.
Job Titles:
- Director of Research and Insight
Kate has a wealth of experience in public sector and commercial research, higher education and sports development. As Director of Research and Insight, Kate is responsible for directing and managing research projects, analysis and reporting, writing tenders and new business development.
Prior to joining Shift, Kate worked for the Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education (QAA) where she led on teaching, learning and assessment guidance and publications, education for sustainable development and data-informed quality assurance and enhancement activities. With nearly two decades of experience in higher education, from lecturer to dean roles, Kate has helped to secure degree-awarding powers and university title for a small, specialist provider, she was a Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF) assessor, and remains a judge for the Green Gown Awards and QS World University Rankings.
Kate has also worked in government and commercial research, including as a Senior Leisure Analyst for Mintel, where she wrote over 50 marketing intelligence reports. She was a Research Manager for Sport England and managed numerous large-scale research projects, including both the quantitative and qualitative strands of the Young People and Sport in England survey across 4,000 schools, which underpinned national school sport policy development.
Kate's PhD examined the role of sport and physical activity in community development and cohesion and she has published several journal articles and book chapters exploring this area. She has completed 12 marathons and over 220 half marathons, but now prefers spin classes and the sauna!
Emily leads on large-scale, multi-method projects, harnessing her expertise in project management and quantitative research, including advanced techniques and analysis. Her clients include Pearson, Springer Nature, UKRI and the University of Southampton.
Prior to joining Shift, Emily was a PhD doctoral researcher, working on projects involving education, psychology and mathematics using big data. However, her career over the past decade has been varied and she is also experienced in mixed and qualitative research. She has an MSc in Social Science Research and an MSc in Educational Leadership, both of which developed her practical knowledge of survey-building, interview techniques and focus groups. She has also worked in various educational settings, wearing a range of hats: a maths teacher and deputy head of department; a researcher for Ofsted; and a Psychology and Statistics Lecturer for the Open University.
As a researcher, Emily's interests lie in primary and secondary education, handling and interpreting data collected online, and how to translate academic theory into real-world impact. She is an accredited Statistician through the Government Statistical Service (GSS) and an ONS Safe Researcher, which means she is able to handle sensitive data with care and expertise.
In her role as Research Manager, Emily works on quantitative, qualitative and mixed-methods research. She contributes to all stages of the research process, from recruitment to report writing, as well as regularly editing proposals and reports. Through her work with a variety of clients, including Nature, LSE and the Chartered Society of Physiotherapists, Emily has gained skills in in-depth interviewing, assisting focus groups and quantitative data processing.
Prior to joining Shift Insight, Emily worked as a French and German teacher for three years. During this time, she completed a MA in education at King's College London, writing a dissertation on the factors affecting teacher identity development.
Having enjoyed engaging with education in a research capacity, she decided to pursue a career in research, bringing her teaching experience with her.
Job Titles:
- Junior Research Executive
Georgia is a Junior Research Executive specialising in quantitative research, while also working on some qualitative projects. She is currently involved in data processing, coding, interviewing, building and disseminating surveys, delivering response updates to clients and report writing. She has worked with clients such as Pearson, Cengage, UKRI, Springer Nature and the University of Cambridge.
Following an undergraduate degree in psychology, Georgia stayed with the University of Sheffield to complete a master's degree in psychological research methods. During both courses, she had a particular focus on social psychology and, for her master's dissertation, conducted a longitudinal quantitative research project investigating how the mental health and wellbeing of 2000 UK adolescents was affected by the COVID-19 lockdowns, looking at a variety of factors such as their age and socio-economic status. Prior to Shift, Georgia worked in paediatric mental healthcare at a children's hospital.
Job Titles:
- Research Executive
- Project Manager at Shift
Isadora works as a project manager at Shift on a range of projects using qualitative and quantitative methods. She manages project fieldwork and has a particular interest in ensuring that respondents have the best research experience possible. She is a mixed-method researcher who particularly enjoys engaging with respondents in interviews and focus groups and ensuring their voices are heard. She has worked on projects for the Office for Students, Springer Nature and Internet Matters.
Isadora graduated from Cambridge with a degree in Human, Social and Political Sciences and came to specialise in Sociology. In this time, she utilised desk research methods and literature reviews to pursue her interests in the relationships between media, culture and society. Isadora is continuing to pursue this interest at Shift with an eye to social sustainability.
Job Titles:
- Director of Operations
- Finance
- Finance & Operations Director
As Director of Operations and Finance, Jack is integral to the day-to-day running of Shift Insight, ensuring all projects are conducted in a cost-effective and productive manner.
In leading the operational aspects within the company (including the in-house IT systems and security), he has been instrumental in streamlining practices to ensure all projects fully comply with the Data Protection Act 2018. He is passionate about adopting new efficiencies to ensure productivity is maintained.
A consistent presence in the office, Jack is responsible for ensuring that the wider team are fully supported, so that each project runs smoothly and to time. He has been highly instrumental in developing our excellent list of skilled, professional freelancers, both based in the UK and internationally.
Prior to joining Shift Insight, Jack worked in several managerial roles where he honed the strong administrative and organisational management skills that he has brought to Shift for many years.
Jane founded Shift Insight (then Shift Learning) in 2002. Since then she has managed or supervised a wealth of mixed-methodology research projects - specialising in providing insights into markets, products, services, competitors and policy developments. Jane has a strong interest in new methodologies and this, combined with her ability to generate new ideas from working with data and stakeholders, means she is adept at delivering recommendations with a strong practical focus.
As MD, Jane also manages the team and is responsible for quality, while overseeing the development of new theoretical and methodological approaches. She also specialises in generating and delivering workshops to support clients in interpreting and acting on the results of our work.
Jane plays an active role in both the market research and publishing worlds. She is a full member of the Market Research Society and ESOMAR, and an associate of ALPSP (Association of Learned and Professional Society Publishers). She has also run several market research training courses for the University of Exeter and ALPSP.
She has a degree in Economics, a postgraduate diploma in marketing from the Chartered Institute of Marketing and an MSc in Social Research Methods from the Open University. For her dissertation, Jane used an ethnographic methodology to investigate school choice decisions in London.
Jane is a fellow of the RSA (Royal Society for the encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce) and recent completed and passed ONS Safe Researcher training making her an Accredited Researcher (AR number ONSF219554). This means she has been deemed sufficiently skilled to work with a range of sensitive public data collected by government.
Job Titles:
- Senior Research Executive
Working alongside our research teams, she offers a fresh perspective that considers our varied audiences, including time-pressured clients and international respondents, who appreciate clear and concise language. While being an editorial safety net and sounding board, Kate also manages the edit schedule and writes for the website and other marketing materials, helping Shift Insight to do itself justice.
Kate has an English degree from Oxford University and has worked for over 17 years as a content producer, writer and editor within the education and not-for-profit sectors. From medical eLearning to informal courses, and early-years reading to end-of-life care, Kate has immersed herself in diverse subjects and written for people of all backgrounds.
Job Titles:
- Research Manager
- Shift As a Research Manager
Lottie joined Shift as a Research Manager and is an experienced qualitative and mixed-method researcher. She is skilled in various research methods, including depth interviewing, online and face-to-face focus groups and peer-to-peer research. She has worked on a wide range of projects and her clients have included The LEGO Group, Springer Nature and Northumbria University.
Prior to joining Shift, Lottie specialised in media literacy, education and youth engagement and is experienced in working with children and young people, as well as teachers and professionals working with both primary and secondary school students. She has worked for both a parenting organisation and an international youth consultation organisation, where she managed an ambassador network that included over 50 youth ambassadors based in 13 different countries. Having studied History at Edinburgh University, Lottie moved to Australia for a few years to experience life in a new country before returning to the UK.
Lucy is a multi-method researcher with vast experience in the qualitative and quantitative methods used at Shift Insight, including advanced techniques such as cognitive interviewing and MaxDiff analysis. She has strong project management skills, enabling her to ensure projects deliver the best results for her clients. Her friendly and approachable manner make her a great depth interviewer and focus group moderator, while her eye for detail ensures that large-scale projects are able to effectively measure complex themes.
Lucy has worked with clients such as the Open University, Wellcome, Office for Students, King's College London, Rising Stars and many more.
Having studied Education and Psychology at the University of Bath, Lucy has a keen interest in projects relating to motivations and drivers to behaviours, particularly within learning environments. This background helps her to translate findings into meaningful recommendations for clients.
She is also committed to furthering her own knowledge and skills, having completed the MRS Advanced Certificate in Market and Social Research.
Job Titles:
- Senior Research Manager, Head of Method
Misha is an experienced mixed-method researcher with expertise in managing projects with complex quantitative and qualitative methodologies across a range of sectors, including membership, public bodies, schools and higher education. Misha harnesses a range of quantitative skills, including innovative and engaging survey guide development, as well as advanced quantitative techniques, such as segmentation analysis and persona development, brand perceptions mapping, key drivers analysis and developing tracking metrics. She is also highly proficient in a range of qualitative methods, particularly in running projects involving high-level and innovative depth interviewing, while being well-equipped to use methods such as mobile ethnography, observations and focus groups.
Misha has plenty of experience in setting up and running international projects, across markets all over the world, running bespoke, organised and considered projects. With an eye for detail and design and a strong understanding of the way our clients' strategic aims impact the work they do, Misha enjoys developing highly engaging, impactful, visual representations of data, to ensure we are not only creating attractive and well-evidenced reports, but generating actionable recommendations that directly relate to the client's strategic aims.
Misha also plays a leading role in upskilling our researchers through the management of our comprehensive training and researcher development programme, as well as instilling best practice in our project management and quantitative methods. Through her comprehensive skills set and ability to develop collaborative relationships, she has managed projects for a vast range of clients, including the General Medical Council, Royal British Legion, Association for Project Management, Association of Accounting Technicians, Chartered Society of Physiotherapy, Royal Society of Chemistry, LEGO Education, City & Guilds, and numerous UK HE institutions, such as the University of London and London Business School.
She holds the MRS Advanced Certificate in Market and Social Research and the APM Project Management qualification. She has a master's in Economics from SOAS, University of London, and an undergraduate degree in Economics and Geography from Queen Mary, University of London. Alongside her role at Shift, Misha is also responsible for managing a supplementary school for primary-aged children with the organisation Civitas Schools, where she teaches supplementary maths lessons.
Natalie works in a support capacity at Shift on a variety of projects, using both qualitative and quantitative methods. She is currently involved in recruitment, interviewing, and desk research.
Natalie recently graduated from the University of Sussex with a master's degree in Clinical Psychology. Prior to this, she completed her undergraduate degree in Psychology at the University of Bristol. Both of her dissertations explored the impact of biological factors on working memory, using quantitative statistical analysis on primary and secondary data.
Job Titles:
- Senior Research Executive
Rhona manages qualitative, quantitative and mixed-methods projects, and is experienced in survey coding, data processing and moderating focus groups, as well as analysing both quantitative and qualitative data. She is also highly experienced with in-depth interviewing at a range of levels. In March 2023, she received her APM Project Fundamentals Qualification, providing a solid foundation for her project management work at Shift.
She is particularly interested in language education, higher education and social sustainability topics. Recent clients include Kogan Page, the Association for Project Management, the British Council, and the UK Green Building Council, as well as various higher education institutions.
Rhona graduated with distinction from her master's degree at Queen Mary University of London in 2020, where she studied Linguistics, specialising in Sociolinguistics. During this degree she used both quantitative and qualitative research methods, and developed an interest in social and market research. Previously, Rhona worked in telecommunications and customer service.
Job Titles:
- Senior Research Executive
Salman is a mixed-method researcher with a strong specialism in quantitative research methods, including advanced techniques such as Conjoint, Key Driver and MaxDiff analysis. He has expertise in managing both quantitative and qualitative projects across a wide range of sectors. He is also an integral part of the development and application of advanced quantitative methods.
He has worked with various clients including the General Medical Council, Cambridge CEM and the University of London.
Salman graduated with a first-class degree in Economics. In his studies, he employed a great many quantitative research methods, but also applied qualitative research methods to his research into poverty in the UK. Similarly, Salman had day-to-day responsibility for managing a research project investigating the effects of older workers' health on economic outcomes across a range of countries.
Scott's role at Shift Insight is a varied one. Although primarily undertaking qualitative and quantitative data analysis, he also manages the smooth conducting of the research process across a range of project types. He is a mixed-method researcher with a depth of experience in both qualitative and quantitative research. He is also highly proficient in the management of survey dissemination and data processing, as well as developing and reporting on research findings, always maintaining high attention to detail. He has contributed to valuable insights for clients from a range of sectors, including Oxford University Press, British Red Cross and The LEGO Group.
Scott also has a secondary role at Shift as Diversity and Inclusion Representative, ensuring all of Shift's research is socially conscious and accessible to all.
Prior to Shift Insight, Scott worked with both the University of Warwick as a Social Research Assistant and King's College London as a Policy Research Assistant with their Biomedical Research Centre. This followed his undergraduate and postgraduate degrees in Sociology at the University of Warwick, where he achieved a 1:1 and Distinction respectively, and gained not only a strong understanding of both qualitative and quantitative research methods, but also the issues of equality and diversity that are essential to his D&I Representative role.
Job Titles:
- Junior Research Executive
Selvie works in a lead project assistant capacity on a range of projects using qualitative and quantitative methods. She is currently involved in data processing, coding, interviewing and survey creating, delivering updates for clients and supporting on report writing. She has worked with clients such as the Science Council, Institute of Physics and UK Green Building Council. Selvie also works as our volunteering ambassador, finding opportunities for us to give back to the community, and promote positive wellbeing within the team.
Previously, Selvie completed a master's degree in Disability Studies at the University of Bristol. Her master's research project, exploring how teacher expectations affect the aspirations of disabled students, involved primary qualitative research methods and analysis.
Before this, Selvie graduated from Bath Spa University with an undergraduate degree in Education with Sociology, where she undertook a systematic literature review to explore the relationship between teacher attitudes towards SEN practice and effective inclusion. Selvie's interest in education with a disability focus developed from her work within the widening participation department at university, as well as volunteering with MENCAP and Girl Guiding.
Sophie is a mixed-methods researcher who has worked on a range of projects for a variety of clients, including the Office for Students, Birmingham City Council and UKRI. She has helped to conduct both qualitative and quantitative fieldwork, including interviews, surveys and focus groups, as well as feeding into research analysis and reporting. She also takes an active role in project recruitment and administration. Alongside project work, she contributes to refining qualitative processes, as well as managing Shift's quality assurance process for research participants.
Sophie recently completed an MSc in Social and Cultural Anthropology at University College London, graduating with distinction. Her master's thesis utilised digital ethnographic research methods and secondary analysis to explore themes of identity and employability in the context of social media. Prior to this, she completed her undergraduate degree in Archaeology and Anthropology at the University of Southampton.