Grant is a Research Fellow in the Fraser of Allander Institute, Department of Economics. A graduate of the University of Strathclyde and Edinburgh University, he joined the Institute in 2002. Since 2004, he was worked on a number of EU, ESRC, EPSRC and private-funded research projects using multi-sectoral models to examine the impacts of energy technologies. He also contributes the to the Fraser Economic Commentary.

Brian Baker

A freelance journalist and researcher who has contributed to a range of UK government/local government/professional publications for over 20 years. Formerly worked for the uk wide Law Centres Federation on policy, lobbying and development and edited a in-house magazine. Currently writing for the Economist Intelligence Unit for client commissioned city research projects, for international property and development media including the US based Urban Land and the France based Reed Midem event publications, and writing articles for the Hafen City company in Hamburg. Hafen City is the largest inner city re-development scheme in Europe. Has written for Environmental Health News for 15 years. Also has written for New Civil Engineer, Local Government News, the MJ, Planning and many others. In spring 2011 doing preliminary research for a proposed book on contemporary initiatives and delivery of  transport interchanges across Europe.  

I am the Auditor General for Scotland.  My post is an independent one which is appointed by the Crown.  I report to the Scottish Parliament and I am held accountable for Audit Scotland's work.

My role is to examine how public bodies spend public money; make sure they manage their finances to the highest standards and make sure they achieve value for money.

Public bodies that I am responsible for scrutinising include: directorates of the Scottish Government; government agencies, eg the Prison Service, Historic Scotland; National Health Service (NHS) bodies; further education colleges; Scottish Water; Non-departmental Public Bodies (NDPBs) and others, eg Scottish Enterprise.

I do not scrutinise: local councils; police boards; fire and rescue boards.  These bodies are scrutinised by the Accounts Commission.

I am assisted in my role by Audit Scotland.  It is a shared services organisation which investigates, on my behalf, various aspects of how public bodies work.

The European Movement in Scotland is Scotland's only dedicated pro-Europe campaigning organisation.  We believe in a strong and united Europe.

We work to inform the public debate on European issues, through events, lobbying and publicity.

The European Movement is an independent non-profit making organisation which welcomes members of all political parties, and those without affiliation.  We area a membership organisation and receive no funding from any political party, from the UK or Scottish Governments or from any institution of the European Union.

Although the Movement in Scotland shares the same overall aims and objectives as the UK Movement, it is particularly concerned with the interests of Scotland as a constituent part of Europe. We maintain close and friendly relations with our sister organisations in England, Wales and Northern Ireland

Our aims are:

• to advance the goal of European unity
• to advance the cause of greater understanding and co-operation between the democratic states of Europe
• to ensure that the interests of Scotland are promoted within the institutions of the European Union, and other European bodies
• to press for improved processes of democratic accountability within the institutions of the European Union.

ASH Scotland is the leading charity campaigning for effective tobacco control legislation in Scotland. For over 30 years, ASH Scotland has played a key role in raising awareness about tobacco use and its harmful effects and has contributed to the implementation of effective public health policies to help smokers to quit and to protect children from tobacco. Our main activities centre on an expert information service, parliamentary lobbying, campaigning, action-based projects and taking forward our partnerships and alliances, including the Scottish Tobacco Control Alliance (STCA).

ASH Scotland aims to achieve longer term outcomes through our work in Scotland.  We are working to:

• influence public attitudes to tobacco and smoking, making progress towards a healthier smoke-free society
• cut youth smoking rates in line with or beyond national targets
• enhance the quality and reach of stop smoking services
• reduce the heavier and more widespread tobacco use that exists amongst those who are living in deprived communities or in marginalised groups, and work both to narrow the differential and to reduce overall smoking rates
• increase the range of organisations supporting our aims and work.

I am a recent graduate, pursuing a career in law or legal and policy research. I went to Glasgow for my undergraduate degree and left with a first in history and politics. In 2010 I graduated from LSE with merit for an MSc in law and anthropology. At the moment I am gaining experience with both solicitors and barristers, hoping to find a graduate position in the near future.

Environmental scientist and consultant working at the interface between business and academia. Broad interests and activities across research, development, demonstration and deployment (RDD&D) of Environmental and Clean Technologies (ECT). Key goals centered around developing the ECT sector in Scotland as part of the wider low carbon economic strategy in Scotland.

Founded SETN in 2006 which was operated from the Contaminated Land Assessment & Remediation Research Centre (CLARRC) at The University of Edinburgh where I was Director since 2001. In November 2010, SETN moved to the Faculty of Engineering at the University of Strathclyde where our activities are:

*Connecting industry/research base
*Stimulating knowledge exchange/innovation
*Securing support for R&D including from our own small project fund
*Providing a single point of contact for the ECT sector
*Networking and events (membership is FREE)

We have our own core environmental laboratories where trials and testing can be carried out and also offer co-ordinated access to resources and expertise across all Scottish Universities and research institutes.

In addition to Senior Lecturer of Politics and International Relations, Chad is Co-Director of the Europa Institute at the University of Edinburgh. He is also a Visiting Professor at the College of Europe in Bruges, Belgium. Chad’s research generally falls within the fields of International Relations and International Political Economy, with particular emphases on transatlantic relations, international regulatory cooperation, and the role of the European Union in international politics. He is particularly interested in exploring both the international and domestic causes of state action. His research covers a number of policy areas, including regulation, competition, trade and environmental policy.

Established in August 2004, the ESRC Genomics Policy and Research Forum is a novel initiative in the field of social science research.

As part of the ESRC Genomics Network (EGN), the Forum acts to integrate the diverse strands of social science research within and beyond the EGN; to develop links between social scientists and scientists working across the entire range of genomic science and technology; and to connect research in this area to policy makers, business, the media and civil society in the UK and abroad.

This is a novel and challenging role, but one which presents huge opportunities.  Under the Directorship of Professor Steve Yearley and the Deputy Directorship of Dr Steve Sturdy, the Forum is widening the reception of social science research beyond existing audiences, and building capacity amongst social scientists for public and policy engagement.

A multilingual systems engineer specialising in 'systemic solutions',   is an operations executive and an expert  in socio-technical systems and web intelligence, a pioneer, innovator and thought leader in her field. She works internationally as lecturer, curriculum developer  and  as senior strategic advisor for international research and policy initiatives, and publishes and speaks frequently at scientific and technical symposia. She  has been in Scotland since 2009 where she  funded ISTCS.org and organised the first Vocamp and the first TEDx (TEDx Edinburgh) in 2009.

I am currently project managing a joint venture between the Scottish Trades Union Congress (STUC) and the University of Strathclyde.  Based in the Scottish Union Learning team, the project aims to broaden and deepen union-led learning activities in workplaces throughout Scotland.  The creation of a comprehensive and sustainable evidence base on skills, learning and union-led learning will enable Scottish Union Learning to make the case to government, employers, learning providers, and anyone else who may have an interest, that union-led learning is of value and is worthy of continued funding. The evidence base will also help to identify gaps and weaknesses in current provision and will enable the STUC to exert greater influence on learning and skills policy in Scotland.

I am also undertaking a part-time PhD which looks at policy formulation under Scottish devolution.  The research considers how the STUC, as representative of those in the trade union movement, seeks to influence learning and skills policy, and if (and if so how) devolution has strengthened the position of trade unions in Scotland in terms of influencing learning and skills policy.

Gordon is an acknowledged leader in the field of UK and EU competition law and regulation.  Gordon's practice has developed a particular emphasis on the role and functioning of markets in regulated sectors in the UK and overseas (such as the energy and water industries) and in connection with the provision of key public services.  Gordon's clients include regulatory bodies, regulated entities and other stakeholders (such as complaint-handling bodies).

For more information on Gordon and the Firm's Regulation and Markets Group, please visit the Group webpage at http://www.shepwedd.co.uk/services/practice-areas/regulation-and-markets/ 

Project Officer for BSL:UPTAKE, an online resource for policy makers, academics and the Deaf community. Bilingual in British Sign Language (BSL) and English, the website provides information, references and links aimed at improving the development and implementation of policies for and as they affect the Deaf community, users of British Sign Language.

All queries or comments welcome.

 Within SDS, the Labour Market Research Team provides Labour Market Intelligence (LMI) for SDS staff and external organisations. http://www.skillsdevelopmentscotland.co.uk/knowledge.aspx

 Links to our key products are below

 Research Online: a free searchable database of over 7,500 reports and articles on labour market and skills issues

 Labour Market Focus: Scotland’s monthly labour market newsletter, bringing together the latest Scottish labour market news and events into one publication. It contains a Spotlight Article on a current topic of interest, headline LMI indicators, reported job gains and losses, new and popular research and a calendar of labour market events. We currently have over 500 subscribers, of which around 300 are SDS staff and 200 from other organisations.

 Media Monitor: a weekly comprehensive summary of reported job gains and losses in Scotland

 LMI Data and Reports: useful LMI at local and national level, plus information on industry sectors.

You can contact us at: LabourMarketResearch@sds.co.uk

Scottish Transport Review is a Quarterly Newsletter summarising the latest research and innovation in Scottish transport.Think tank events are also held to discuss key topics and think pieces published at the website.

The Review is entirely managed by volunteer inputs from across Scottish transport and there are about 500 subscibers. Publications are freely available online and hard copies can be posted for a small postage charge.

Dr Nicolina Kamenou is a Senior Lecturer in International Human Resource Management (HRM) and Diversity Management in the School of Management and Languages.

Nicolina’s research lies in the area of diversity management primarily with regard to race, ethnicity, culture and gender in employment. Recent work focuses on cross-cultural management and HRM policies and practices in non-western regions, work-life balance and Human Rights. Nicolina is an Editorial Board Member of the Equal Opportunities International Journal since January 2006.

Nicolina was seconded in 2005 from Heriot-Watt University to work as a Senior Research Officer in the Scottish Executive for a period of six months, where she was responsible for the Mainstreaming Equality project within the Social Justice Division of the Scottish Executive. Nicolina investigated the effectiveness of the implementation of the government’s Equality Strategy (2000) in relation to the mainstreaming equality project’s aims and examined attitudes towards the mainstreaming equality initiatives in two pilot departments: the Education Department and the Housing Department.

Currently Secretary to the Glasgow Economic Commission (www.glasgoweconomicfacts.com) supportingt Prof. Jim McDonald (Principal, Strathclyde University and Commission Chair), on secondment from Scottish Enterprise where I was Director of Policy Development.  Prior to that I was Director of Strategy and Patrnerships at SE Glasgow.  I have an active interest in economic, industrial (incl. Creative Industries) and urban and regional policy and have 25+ years experience in policy development and project delivery in Glasgow and Scotland, with significant international experience [OECD (LEED programme), EU (ENTRUST project)]. 

Richard Kerley

 is Professor of  Management at Queen Margaret University and a principal of SRKConsultancy.. He is a visiting professor at the Institute of Technology Management, Mumbai and East Asia School of Business, Singapore .

 He was previously at the University of Edinburgh and Director of  the Scottish Local Authorities Management Centre, University of Strathclyde . He has also been a visiting scholar at Yale University. Richard   chaired  the Scottish Executive  Working Party on Renewing Local Democracy; the report of which was published in July 2000 and   which was legislated for in June 2004 as the Local Governance Act.

 His main academic interest is in the wide field of public management , with a specific focus on policy and management in local government .

 Richard is the author of various books;  research papers ; articles in academic journals and numerous articles in the quality print media . His most recent publications include:  an occasional paper on the current UK fiscal crisis ; a  book chapter on performance in public services; journal articles on the management of urban car parking as an example of effective  practice in public management; and Single Outcome Agreements in Scottish local government.

 He has at various times been an employee of 4 local authorities and a councillor for 8 years , during which time he was convenor of the Economic Development Committee in Edinburgh. He currently chairs the board of The Audience Business/Audience Business Trading  in Edinburgh and is a director of two other companies.

Patricia is the manager of the Scottish Universities Insight, based at the University of Strathclyde.  She is responsible for the organisation of the Institute's funding scheme for programmes of enquiry and for the day to day management of the Institute. She holds a PhD in Comparative Literature from the University of Leiden, Netherlands (2001), where she was a junior researcher and lecturer (1996-2000). In this role, she also held a number of administrative positions  at departmental and faculty level and was a member of the  National Evaluation Committee for Teaching in the Arts and Humanities for the Association of Universities in the Netherlands (Vereniging Samenwerkende Nederlandse Universiteiten). She held a Fulbright Fellowship at the University of Virginia, USA (1999). Prior to joining the Insight Institute, Patricia taught English and French literature and culture at the Universities of Leiden, Stirling and St Andrews.

Next to her international background and extensive knowledge of academia, Patricia  has worked in the private sector as an analyst for ZS Associates, a management consultancy firm specialising in sales and marketing consulting for the pharmaceutical industry.

My role is to promote knowledge exchange between the University of Edinburgh's Humanities and Social research and the wide range of potential users including policy makers, professional practitioners, business, and the general public. Originally from Norway I worked in various voluntary and political organisations there before spending 8 years as a researcher and then moving into research development and knowledge exchange. If you cannot find the expertise you are looking for, then I'll do what I can to see whether we have it at Edinburgh!

As Professional Development and Events Co-ordinator I organise Continuing Professional Development seminars and assist with the marketing of the Centre of Energy, Petroleum and Mineral Law and Policy.

The Centre for Energy, Petroleum and Mineral Law and Policy (CEPMLP) is a centre of excellence for the study of law, policy, economics, management, dispute resolution nad leadership for the international energy and natural resources sector.

We offer a wide range of seminars delivered by highly experienced sector specialists and industry leaders which are attended by representatives from industry, government and academia. These courses, for the natural resource and energy sectors, include negotiation skills, petroleum regulation and licensing, managing contracts and agreements, arbitration and dispute management skills.  We also offer customised professional training courses which are adapted to suit the particular instituition's individual needs.

The Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations (SCVO) is the national body representing the interests of the voluntary sector in Scotland. It does so through its policy committee which is elected from its membership of around 1300 Scottish voluntary organisations. SCVO’s mission is to advance the values and shared interests of the voluntary sector. As part of this, we provide the sector with information and assistance; support them to improve their effectiveness and efficiency and to represent their views to Government and bother public bodies. Further details about SCVO can be found at www.scvo.org.uk.

Claire is Knowledge Exchange Coordinator at the Scottish Centre for Crime and Justice Research (SCCJR).  Her role involves supporting engagement between researchers and others with an interest in crime and justice issues.  Claire works with a wide range of stakeholders (such as governmental policy makers, politicians, social workers, third sector organisations, journalists etc) to keep them infomed of relevant research in their areas of interest and to ensure any research undertaken and produced by SCCJR is informed by  knowledge, experiences and needs outside academia. Claire works to effectively disseminate research findings and outputs produced by SCCJR and is involved in activities which support the use of our research in policy-making and practice.  Claire is also involved in undertaking research about processes of knowledge exchamge, particularly the role of knowledge brokers.

Claire has previously worked in research and knowledge exchange roles at the Scottish Local Government Improvement Service and the Scottish Government.   Throughout her career Claire has been involved in supporting and promoting the use of research in policy and practice. She has experience of conducting, designing and managing a range of social research projects.  These have been on various topics, including, the customer experience,  working across boundaries , information management, civil justice, devolution and policy making.   Claire also has experience of facilitating and supporting networks and communities. 

Claire is particularly interested in ideas about research utilisation, knowledge brokerage, knowledge management, supporting the use of evidence in policy and practice and developing practice and policy informed research.

In my University of Aberdeen role I am a Policy Adviser looking at issues of Sustainability & Social Responsibility, Cultural & Public Engagement and Internationalisation.

I represent the University on the North East Scotland Climate Change Partnership and the Aberdeen Cultural Forum.

I am also currently the Scotland Branch Convener of the Environmental Association for Universities and Colleges and am an EAUC Trustee and Board Member.  I've been involved in both the development of the Universities and Colleges Climate Commitment for Scotland and the ongoing review of the Universities that Count programme.

I joined Stirling law school from Robert Gordon University in 2005 and have particularl interests in the legal and policy issues of sport, recreation and leisure provision. I've recently carried out contract research on behalf of the Scottish Government (into the courts' use of football banning orders) and my other recent funded research has been concerned with the work of the Adventure Activities Licensing Authority in Scotland (Carnegie Trust), the regulation of outdoor activities in Scotland and South Africa (British Academy) and drug use in sports (Royal Society of Edinburgh). My other research interests include trade union law, education law and discrimination law (especially disability and transgender discrimination). I teach sports law, trade union law, information  technology law and European Union law.

The Joseph Rowntree Foundation (JRF) undertakes R&D for social policy and practice across the four countries of the UK. Key themes are Poverty, Place and Empowerment, with other cross-cutting programmes including Alcohol, Climate Change and Social Justice and Forced Labour.

A micro-site on Cuts, Spending and Society serves as a means of sharing up-to-date analysis and commentary on the UK's public spending environment.

Visit www.jrf.org.uk to register for e-mail alerts on new publications, events and calls for proposals as new funding rounds open. Follow JRF on Twitter @jrf_uk     

Reader in Public Policy and Management at Glasgow Caledonian University with research and publication background in various aspects of public policy and management including acccountability, public policy and institutional strategy, gender in public management, multi level governance.

Has won and managed major research projects. In addition to academic experience, has held senior posts in management and has undertaken major management consultancy projects.

Joint editor of the journal Public Policy and Administration. Editorial board member for a number of other journals.

I am a Professor Emerita in the School of Law at Queen's University Belfast (QUB), having gone there in 1991 as a Professor of Politics.  Together with colleagues in Law, Economics and Sociology, I founded the Institute of Governance as an interdisciplinery and cross-sectoral research centre.  The Institute was subsequently incorporated into the Law School.  I remain a member of the international advisory board of  the Northern Ireland Social and Political Archive (ARK) - a partnership with Ulster University, the QUB arm of which was, in my day, in the Institute.   My research over forty years has covered anti-discrimination policies (US, UK, EU), EU citizenship, women and politics (especially in the context of devolution), and the EU backdrop to changing territorial politics in Ireland and the United Kingdom and to the transformaton of British Irish relations.  I continue to write on these topics from time to time, including a paper on policy learning in equality and human rights for a SPIF conference in January 2010.  I am a visiting professor at the School of Politics and International Relations at University College Dublin where I am the publications director of the Institute for British Irish Studies   We have just secured a contract for a book on Everyday Life after the Conflict: The Impact of Devolution and North-South Cooperation.

Managing corporate research and consultation function of Scotland's third largest local authority. Most work is done with community planning partners, in particular NHS Fife Public Health with whom I jointly manage posts. Developed KnowFife infrastructure to identify and fill strategic knowledge gaps, and to build capacity to do and use research across community planning functions and partners in Fife.

Current interests in: deprivation and area resource analysis; futures methods such as scenarios; evidence for strategic management and community planning; knowledge management; action research; qualitative methods; evaluation; consultation and engagement; public and academic sector collaborations.

Previous experience in: anti-poverty policy and practice; decentralisation; urban and housing renewal; housing policy; social care; scrutiny;  community development; deprivation indices and neighbourhood statistics.

Currently member of Scotstat Board, Scotstat Deprivation Working Group; Scottish Analysts Network; Fife Policy and Research Network

Retired - but with business interests retained in manufacturing, construction. sme venture capital and property development UK & abroad.  Principal interest now in promoting a wider understanding of the banking business and pressing for its reform  and democratic accountability.  Lead promoter of Banking for People - a network of independent constituency based  groups promoting  the committment of local MPs to campaigning for meaningful regulation and ammenment to the Banking Acts.

SATA is a Scottish charity working for improved access for disabled people to all forms of transport and the transport environment. New members from the public, private and voluntary sectors are welcome either as individuals, organisations or groups.

See our website for further details.

Ruchir is head of the policy and research department at the Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations. He helps facilitate policy ideas in and on the sector, and helps communicate these to policy makers in Parliament, Government and wider civil society. Ruchir also ensures that third sector policy is rooted in robust research and a growing evidence base. He was responsible for leading the Civil Society Index for Scotland, the Lead Group ‘futures’ thinking initiative for the third sector, and was editor of VIEW magazine bringing policy insights from civil society to the big issues facing Scotland. Formerly, Ruchir was SCVO’s Research Officer and established the statistical profile for Scotland’s third sector now used widely by the sector, in government and in academia at Scotland and UK level. He is also a board member of the sustainable development NGO, Future Balance.

I am the founder and director of Research for Real, an Edinburgh based action research consultancy.  I have extensive experience of traditional social research and evaluation for public policy.  My current interests are in cross-disciplinary approaches to research, organisational development and partnership working in public and voluntary services. In particular, how action research can be used to support evidence based practice, service delivery and organisational learning.  My work for the Scottish Executive discussed how information about good practice is failing to become good practice and identifies action research as a positive response to the challenges of moving research into practice.  Whilst published in 2005 this still seems very relevant. http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2005/09/2890219/02201

For more information see www.research-for-real.co.uk 

Semi retired specialist in tropical medicine. Still do some teaching and examining at Edinburgh University.Have lived/worked in Malawi, Nepal. Shorter periods in Nigeria, Cameroon, Sierra Leone,India, Sri Lanka, Afghanistan, Turkey, Jamaica.  Play bagpipe for dancing at ceilidhs in Edinburgh. Sometimes play percussion in The Edinburgh Samba School band.

The European Parliament operates an Information Office in the national capitals of all 27 EU Member States, with smaller, 'antenna' offices in Barcelona, Edinburgh, Marseilles, Milan, Munich and Wroclaw.

The European Parliament Information Office in Edinburgh aims to help increase awareness of the Parliament and the impact of its activities in Scotland , as well as highlighting the work of the six Scottish Members of the European Parliament (MEPs).

The Office is located in the Old Town of Edinburgh, adjacent to the Scottish Parliament at Holyrood.

The EP Office has three members of staff and is open 09h00-17h30, Monday to Friday.

• We produce a number of leaflets, posters, wall-charts and gadgets, many of which are available to order free of charge.
• We respond to queries about the European Parliament to members of the public and journalists as well as to a range of private, public and voluntary sector organisations.
• We provide a number of educational resources on EU matters for teachers of both primary and secondary pupils.
• We help identify and provide speakers for EU-related seminars, debates and events.
• We also assist and advise the European Parliament and its United Kingdom Office in matters relating to Scotland.

I am an Events Officer at the Royal Society of Edinburgh (RSE). I manage the Young People’s programme, developing curriculum-linked events across a broad range of topics, and working in partnership to deliver these across Scotland. I am also involved in a range of RSE related activities, including providing support across our public events, assisting with the new RSE website and providing secretariat support to the RSE Young People’s Committee. My background is in Psychology and I have been working in the events industry for a number of years.

Gracia Vara Arribas (ES) is an Expert at the European Institute of Public Administration in Barcelona. As a lawyer, she practised in Galicia for almost ten years (1986-1995), during which time she was granted the ICEX scholarship by the Spanish Ministry of External Affairs to conduct comparative legal studies for the Spanish Government at its Embassy in The Hague, the Netherlands (1990-1991). She gained her Master of Laws (LLM) in comparative, European and international law from Maastricht University (1995-1996).

She specialises in European law, regional participation in decision making, and the legal aspects of European integration, with a particular focus on regional and local governance (Multilevel Governance). Under her direction, several impact assessment and evaluation studies have been carried out on EU laws at regional level, which were commissioned by the EU Presidencies (UK 2006 and SE 2009) and for different Member States (SE, NO, UK, FR, NL, DE). In 2009 she was commissioned by the Dutch Ministry of Interior to evaluate the impact of the Lisbon Treaty on the Dutch Provinces and Municipalities. She has worked as a consultant for the Committee of the Regions, the Dutch Ministry of Interior, and the UK Office of the Deputy Prime Minister. She has co-edited two books on the EU and subnational entities, “Tripartite Arrangements: An Effective Tool for Multilevel Governance?” (EIPA 2005), and “The Role of Regional Parliaments in the Early Warning System” (Forthcoming publication by the Committee of the Regions). She has also authored several policy reports on the topic and published numerous articles on the European Union and the Regions

Web developer for ScotHub.org.

Feel free to ask me any questions about the operation of the site, or offer feedback.

I am a Senior Policy Analyst with the public service of Canada, currently teleworking from Glasgow while my partner finishes her degree in medicine. In my work, I develop strategic, medium-term policy (approximately 2-5 year outlook) in the areas of social, labour market and training policy. In previous public policy roles I have worked on international finance policy (IMF and G20), ICT sector and digital economy policy, transportation policy, and parliamentary affairs. I am very interested in the development and dissemination of new, innovative and creative policy ideas that solve persistent or emerging public problems.

I have been a manager of social resreach projects since 2002.  I joined OPM in October 2007 and specialise in health, social care and equalities.  I have successfully led a variety of research, consultancy, and service delivery projects for public sector clients in Scotland and England over the last 8 years. I am experienced in both large and small project development and management and a wide range of qualitative social research methodologies .  I moved to Scotland in February 2010 and am responsible for the development and management of OPM’s research activity in Scotland; I am a member of the Social Research Association Scotland Committee and also a director on a Board for an Alloa-based voluntary organisation supporting children and young people with additional needs.