Consultants | Higher Ed Insight Wendy Erisman, Ph.D., owner of Strix Research LLC, specializes in assessing the effectiveness of programs and policies designed to support underserved students in higher education. In 14 years of working in higher education, Dr. Erisman has held positions as both a university faculty member and as a policy researcher and program evaluator. She has training and experience in research and evaluation design, strong skills in qualitative research methods, and a solid grounding in the literature on college access and success for low-income, first-generation, and non- traditional students. Dr. Erisman’s current projects include evaluations of Lumina Foundation’s Adult College Completion Initiative and the federal Department of Education project Promoting Reentry Success through Continuity of Educational Opportunities. Chad B.
Wikispaces What Are The Advantages of Using Independent Consultants to Carry Out Research Within a Company? Independent Consultants, as explained by DJS Research Ltd. There are a number of advantages that make the use of independent consultants necessary whilst carrying out research in your own business: Primarily, using an independent consultant from outside your own company removes any suspicion of bias in the findings. Bias, be it perceived or actual, can cast a shadow over research and is unnecessary. Secondly, to an inexperienced onlooker, qualitative research may look easy but this is certainly not the case. To gain the most from the research, the services of an experienced and trained professional are essential. Finally, using a professional means that the results will be processed effectively and thus, the subsequent recommendations will carry more weight and be more useful. For further information please visit DJS Research, a full service market research agency.
Excel Resources | Office of Research Consultation Home - Independent Marketing Researchers From PhD to Life: Independent Consulting Alisa Harrison earned her PhD in history from Duke University. She’s principal at A. Harrison Research & Consulting and the executive director of the Victoria (British Columbia) Division of Family Practice. What did you hope for in terms of employment as you completed your PhD? I wanted work that would be intellectually as well as socially/politically engaging; I felt like the combination of research and teaching would give me that, and my research focus did lend itself quite strongly to political/social activism. At the same time, I struggled with the idea of working so hard to publish in places where the audience would be small, so I was always thinking about ways I could bridge the academia/non-academia gap, at least in terms of publishing. What was your first post-PhD job? What do you do now? What kind of tasks do you do on a daily and weekly basis? So much variety here. What most surprises you about your job? What are your favourite parts of your job? What’s next for you, career-wise?
Research consultancy: taking the plunge? | Making CommunitySense On February 18, SIKS, the Netherlands Research School for Information and Knowledge Systems, organized a career day for Ph.D. students, with the goal of making Ph.D. students think about what are the career opportunities after they finish. It was a very inspiring day, with many interesting presentations and interactions. I was asked to present my perspective on how to set up and survive as a small (i.e. one-man) research consultancy company. In this post, a quick summary of the points I made in my talk. As an (academic) research consultant, you are a linking pin between science and society. Pros and Cons Some of the pros of being an independent research consultant instead of working at an academic institution include: + More freedom & control Being your own boss you are, well, your own boss. + More relevant research One of the curses of the academic system is the publish-or-perish culture. + More satisfaction Your company is your baby. Do’s and Don’ts – Have (and keep!) – Enjoy it!
The Academic Consultant--Why Start a Consultancy? Over the past year, I made the decision to begin my own business as a consultant in sport science support and environmental ergonomics. On top of a booming research lab and a full teaching load, not to mention a growing young family, why would I take on this new venture? Simply put, the excitement of starting a new venture is too much fun to pass up and an excellent opportunity for personal growth. I love being in academia and am nowhere near giving it up. However, the entrepreneurial spirit that I believe lies within all academics made starting a business a relatively natural extension of my growth as a researcher. That, plus the desire to directly apply research knowledge, pushed me toward setting up an independent consultancy. In the first of this on-going series of articles for Next Wave, I will examine the reasons for and against setting up shop as a part-time consultant in your field of research. The most obvious advantage is taxation.
Five myths of quant consulting November/December 2010 Caution before entering: Misconceptions abound in fascinating field. By David Lengacher For a lucky few, the field of quantitative consulting provides the type of catalyst-environment that keeps engineers and operations research analysts continually challenged, perpetually seeking a deeper understanding of the their client’s problems and the governing dynamics that created them. Myth No. 1: My solutions and reccommendation will sell themselves. This myth is painfully familiar to those who transitioned from more qualitative management consulting fields to quantsulting. The reality is that the amount of time spent preparing presentations in management consulting is virtually identical to that of quant consulting. Myth No. 2: The hardest part is solving the problem. New entrants into quant consulting are continually amazed by the fact that their clients cannot tell them what they want to investigate or solve. Myth No. 5: I will get rich in consulting.