1. What has been the biggest challenge you have faced in your career and how did you overcome it?

There was a point when we realised our existing way of working wouldn’t scale to meet the growing demands of a key client. As requests became more complex and timelines tightened, manual processes created unnecessary friction and made it harder to deliver at the pace we knew was possible.

So, we paused, took a step back, and made a decision: we wouldn’t just fix the process, we would rebuild it entirely.

By embracing AI and automation, we identified repetitive, manual tasks and systematically streamlined them. The impact was significant: manual effort decreased by 70%, client turnaround times improved by 40%, and quality not only remained high but improved. Over the following three months, consistent delivery and measurable results demonstrated the value of the new approach.

The outcome was a stronger client partnership, but the bigger takeaway was broader than that. Real progress doesn’t always come from working harder within an existing process. Sometimes the greatest gains come from having the confidence to redesign it entirely.

2. What do you think the next big trend in research will be?

Honestly, I think we’re already living it; we just haven’t caught up to ourselves yet.

When my team rebuilt our tracker workflow using AI automation, we didn’t just save time. We unlocked something: the ability to think at the level of strategy instead of being buried in execution. That’s where research is heading. AI handles the heavy lifting, cleaning, processing and flagging, so humans can do what only humans can do: interpret, question and connect dots.

The future isn’t AI or researchers, it’s researchers who know how to make AI work for them. That’s the real competitive edge.

3. Who or what inspires you?

My team. When we were working to save that client relationship, it wasn’t just me staring at dashboards late at night. It was the people around me, analysts, coordinators and mentors who believed in something that didn’t exist yet. They built solutions without a guaranteed outcome. They stayed. They pushed.

I lead, but honestly, I follow their energy every single day.

There’s something humbling about watching people choose commitment over comfort. That’s what drives me to keep raising the bar, because they already are.

• The full MRS Research Heroes list for 2026 can be found here.