Working together
My approach
A rigorous, methodical, and systematic approach to research quality and integrity assessment, and to building sustainable organisational research capacity. This approach draws on more than 23 years across academia, international standards development, quality assurance and research capacity strengthening in the NGO sector, and research management for university and research networks. It is an unusual mix, and it is the reason I can see a problem from several angles at once: how a methodologist would judge it, how a standards body would, how a donor or an under-resourced partner would.
*Aoiffe moderating webinars as part of the WUN SDG Early Career Researcher series
Focus areas
Where I can help
These are the areas where I am most often asked to review, advise, or train, and where methodological questions most benefit from a fresh set of eyes.
- Methodological review and quality assurance
- Research capacity strengthening and editorial mentoring
- Writing for donor, policy, and practitioner audiences
- Decolonial and localised research design
- Multi-epistemic methodology
- Research ethics in insecure contexts
- Writing for influence and impact
- Research across cultures, languages, and power differentials
The process
What to expect from an engagement
Fixed fees, not day rates
Every engagement is quoted as a fixed fee against a written scope. You know the cost before work begins.
Remote and asynchronous
Based in Manchester, I work remotely and asynchronously across time zones. In-person delivery is available for capacity strengthening programmes.
Confidential by default
Material shared for review is treated as confidential. Reviews are pre-publication, and the assessment is yours.
Follow-up review on request
For quality reviews, a second pass over the revised version can be included, to confirm that the issues raised have been addressed.
Ongoing support by retainer
For organisations that want a continuing relationship rather than one-off support, I offer monthly retainers at a reduced rate: a set amount of review, advice, or coaching each month. The lower rate reflects the value of an ongoing commitment, and of the deeper understanding of your work that comes with it.
Cost and access
Rates
I work on a sliding scale, from solidarity to full cost to redistribution. We determine your rate together, based on your organisation’s budget and its ability to pay, agreed in conversation with your team.
Revenue from redistribution-rate engagements subsidises solidarity-rate work directly, so that better-resourced organisations underwrite access for those working in contexts with less.
Get in touch
How to start
Every engagement begins with a short, no-obligation conversation about what you are working on and where you would value support. From there I set out a written scope and a fixed fee, so you can make fully informed decisions.