Liz joined Collaborate as an Associate in September 2026. She is a highly experienced social researcher, evaluator and strategist, with over 20 years’ experience working across the public, private and voluntary sectors.
Liz holds an MSc with Distinction in Social Research Methods and has extensive expertise in qualitative and quantitative research, evaluation, deliberative methods and applying behavioural insights. Her work combines methodological rigour with strategic thinking.
Much of Liz’s recent research has focused on civil society, philanthropy and social change, particularly in relation to migration, community organising, social cohesion and movement building. She has worked with organisations including Unbound Philanthropy, Civic Power Fund, More in Common, Larger Us, Oxfam GB and the Baring Foundation. Earlier in her career, she held senior research and insight roles at NEST Pensions and Opinion Leader and worked on employment and social inclusion policy at the Centre for Economic and Social Inclusion.
Liz lives in the North East of England, where she is also actively involved in a volunteer-led community arts organisation.
In their own words:
I’m interested in what enables people from different backgrounds, with different experiences and perspectives, to live well together and tackle the challenges they share. I’m particularly interested in how we navigate differences, find common ground and build the relationships and collective capacity needed to bring about change.
I’ve spent much of my working life trying to understand complex social problems and what might help address them. I’m guided by curiosity, evidence and a belief in the importance of reason and open enquiry. But I also recognise that evidence alone rarely brings about change. We need to understand how people make sense of the world, the circumstances that shape their choices and the wider systems and structures in which they live and work.
I love getting to grips with complexity, making sense of different perspectives and sometimes conflicting evidence, and finding ways to communicate insights simply and accessibly without losing nuance.