UX Research Leadership Portfolio

About

Building Research Functions That Scale

I'm a research leader who specializes in building and scaling user research functions from the ground up. With a PhD in Psychology and over 12 years of experience, I've established research practices at 50+ organizations, transforming how companies understand and serve their users.

My approach combines rigorous academic methodology with pragmatic business acumen, ensuring research insights drive measurable product and business outcomes. I build high-performing research teams, establish scalable processes, and create cultures where user-centricity thrives.

Core Expertise

Research Operations & Strategy
Team Building & Leadership
Mixed-Methods Research Design
Stakeholder Influence & Collaboration
Research Process Optimization
0-to-1 Function Development
Quantitative & Qualitative Methods
Research Tool Implementation

Experience

Research Leadership Journey

A track record of building research functions that transform product development and drive business growth.

Director of User Research

Enterprise SaaS Company

2020 - Present

Led research organization supporting 15+ product teams across B2B and B2C offerings. Established comprehensive research operations, scaled team from 2 to 12 researchers, and implemented strategic research frameworks.

Reduced time-to-insight by 60% through process optimization
Established quarterly strategic research roadmap aligned with business objectives
Built ResearchOps function supporting 100+ studies annually
Championed democratization of research, training 50+ cross-functional partners

Head of User Research

High-Growth Tech Startup

2017 - 2020

First research hire building function from zero. Established research practice, implemented tools and processes, and created culture of user-centricity across product, design, and engineering.

Built research function supporting company through Series B to C growth
Established participant recruitment pipeline and research repository
Led strategic initiatives informing product roadmap and market positioning
Mentored and hired team of 5 researchers across generalist and specialist roles

Senior UX Researcher

Fortune 500 Technology Company

2013 - 2017

Led complex, multi-method research initiatives for flagship products. Specialized in enterprise software, conducting foundational and evaluative research across global markets.

Conducted 50+ studies spanning 12 countries and 8 languages
Developed longitudinal research program tracking user behavior over 18 months
Collaborated with data science on mixed-methods approaches
Presented findings to executive leadership and board of directors

Impact

Key Achievements

🏗️

50+ Functions Built

Established research practices at organizations ranging from startups to enterprises, creating sustainable, scalable research operations.

👥

Teams Scaled

Hired, mentored, and developed high-performing research teams, growing organizations from 0 to 12+ researchers.

📊

Strategic Impact

Research insights directly influenced major product decisions, market positioning, and business strategy at executive level.

🔄

Process Innovation

Developed frameworks and methodologies adopted across organizations, improving research quality and velocity.

Philosophy

Research Principles

Great research doesn't just answer questions—it transforms how organizations think about their users and build products.

Rigorous & Pragmatic

Academic rigor meets business reality. Every study is methodologically sound and actionably valuable.

Strategic & Tactical

Balance foundational research with rapid evaluative studies to inform both vision and execution.

Collaborative & Influential

Research succeeds when it's embedded in product development, not isolated from it.

Scalable & Sustainable

Build systems, processes, and cultures that enable research impact to grow exponentially.

Capabilities

Research & Leadership Skills

Research Methods

In-depth Interviews
Usability Testing
Diary Studies
Ethnographic Research
Survey Design & Analysis
Card Sorting & Tree Testing
A/B Testing & Experimentation
Longitudinal Studies

Leadership & Strategy

Team Building & Management
Research Strategy Development
Stakeholder Management
Executive Communication
Cross-functional Collaboration
Budget & Resource Planning
Hiring & Talent Development
Change Management

Research Operations

Participant Recruitment
Research Repository Management
Tool Selection & Implementation
Process Design & Optimization
Quality Standards & Training
Research Democratization
Vendor Management
Compliance & Ethics

Tools & Platforms

UserTesting, Respondent
Dovetail, Confluence
Qualtrics, SurveyMonkey
Optimal Workshop
Lookback, Maze
SPSS, R, Python
Figma, Miro
Amplitude, Mixpanel

Strategic UX Research
for Product Excellence