Our team
We’re all active, senior researchers with significant agency and client-side experience in commercial and public sector settings. We’ve taught research methods, and specifically MRS professional qualifications, for many years. We promise to make your learning journey supportive, challenging, and fun!
Mia co-founded the Research Academy with Sia Sha. She is the Course Leader for the MRS Diploma, Module Leader for Units 1, 2 and 4 of the MRS Diploma, and helps deliver the MRS Advanced Certificate. As MD, Business, she leads on corporate strategy, financial performance, business operations, marketing, PR, and social media. She’s proud of this website – for better or for worse!
Mia also manages projects for the Research Academy’s agency arm, RA Consulting. Here, she works on international projects with clients such as Cambridge Assessment, putting two decades of research experience to use. Prior to co-founding the Research Academy, Mia was Associate Director at YouthSight, where her clients included the Institute of Physics, the Student Loans Company, and FTSE 400 companies. She also coordinated the in-house training programme and helped the company become an accredited provider of the MRS Advanced Certificate.
From 2006 to 2011, Mia was a Lecturer for the University of Westminster’s MA/MSc Applied Market and Social Research. She led four of the eight MA/MSc modules, delivered the MRS Diploma curriculum, and supervised dissertations. During this time, she also conducted freelance research for a number of education and public sector clients.
Mia is a Certified Member of the Market Research Society (CMRS) and a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy. She holds a BA in Government and Politics, an MA in Applied Social and Market Research, and a PG Cert in Higher Education from the University of Westminster.
Mia is a qualified Mountain Leader. In her spare time, she works as a mountain guide in Eryri (Snowdonia) and grows her own vegetables. She also volunteers with the Snowdonia Society, Ogwen Valley Mountain Rescue, Energy Local Bethesda, and Bethesda Wholefoods.
Sia Sha co-founded the Research Academy with Mia Walker. He is the Course Leader for the MRS Advanced Certificate, and Module Leader for Unit 5 of the MRS Diploma. As MD, Education, he ensures that our pedagogical approach is evidence-led and up-to-date. He’s also the reason that our online course delivery runs smoothly!
Sia also manages projects for the Research Academy’s agency arm, RA Consulting. Here, he works on international projects with clients such as Cambridge Assessment, putting his 10+ years of research experience to use. More recently, Sia has branched out in other sectors. He currently works with a variety of start-ups such as Greenwood Burns, a fintech company.
Prior to co-founding the Research Academy, Sia worked as a researcher and lecturer at a range of higher education institutions. At the University of East London, he taught statistics to masters and PhD students. At the University of Westminster, he worked on a variety of research projects such as zero carbon emission, ischaemic heart disease, and youth employment. Sia has also been a freelance researcher, working with a variety of clients such as Action for Bow, YouthSight, and Corus Entertainment.
Sia holds a BA in Sociology from Goldsmiths, University of London, and an MSc in Applied Market and Social Research from the University of Westminster.
Liz has worked in research for over 30 years, starting out as an interviewer. She has an MA in Geography from the University of Oxford, and a PhD in Applied Geography from the University of London. Before setting up her own business 11 years ago, she was a senior director at several leading agencies, including GfK NOP (now IPSOS) and RI (now Kantar)
She conducts a broad range of UK and international projects across businesses and consumers, using both qualitative and quantitative techniques. She works directly for clients such as Legal & General and Accenture, as well as for agencies such as Kantar, IPSOS, and Opinium. She particularly enjoys helping clients understand their customer experiences, shopper behaviour, and new product development.
Liz has developed and run training courses at GfK NOP, as well as for the Business Intelligence Group (BIG). She also worked on the mentoring programme at GfK NOP. She is a Certified Member of the Market Research Society and a member of the Association for Qualitative Research (AQR), BIG, and the Independent Consulting Group (ICG).
Chris has more than 20 years of experience in research, consultancy, and marketing services management. He has a long track record in academic research, having studied research methods at Aston University and subsequently worked as a policy analyst and as a senior lecturer in a business school. After moving into service management, Chris led market strategy at Staffordshire University and at Northumbria University and held a similar post in an NHS training college. He has also worked outside of the academic sector, spending four years as a management consultant in an advertising agency, and has run his own research consultancy since 2007.
Chris’s research experience extends across quantitative and qualitative methods. He works on a wide range of projects but particularly enjoys those concerned with market positioning, competitive strategy, and new product development. He has a particular interest in complex, multi-methodology research.
He is a member of the MRS, CIM, and the Independent Consultants Group. Chris holds a BSc (Social and Physical Sciences), an MSc (Social Aspects of Science and Technology), an MPhil (Marketing), and a CertEd.
Becky has 25 years’ market research experience across the commercial and public sectors and in-depth knowledge of research strategies, methodologies, analysis and interpretation.
She has been a freelance Insight Consultant for over 10 years and has worked with clients and in partnership with other agencies and freelancers on qualitative and quantitative projects including audience profiling, U&A, market landscape, brand and advertising awareness, NPD, concept testing and thought leadership. Whilst freelancing she has held roles in the public sector at Pension Wise (DWP) and Money and Pensions Service and in the Insight & Evaluation team of the Comms department at the Department for International Trade (DIT).
Previously Becky was Research Director at YouthSight, a full-service agency and access panel specialising in young people, students and young professionals. She also worked in the Insight team at London Undergroundand started her career at BMRB where she worked on a range of face to face, telephone, postal and online surveys.
Becky graduated from the University of Exeter with a BA (Society Economy and Social Policy) and a MA (Applied Population Research). She is a Certified member of the MRS and holds the MRS Diploma in Applied Market & Social Research.
Mia co-founded the Research Academy with Sia Sha. She is the Course Leader for the MRS Diploma, Module Leader for Units 1, 2 and 4 of the MRS Diploma, and helps deliver the MRS Advanced Certificate. As MD, Business, she leads on corporate strategy, financial performance, business operations, marketing, PR, and social media. She’s proud of this website – for better or for worse!
Mia also manages projects for the Research Academy’s agency arm, RA Consulting. Here, she works on international projects with clients such as Cambridge Assessment, putting two decades of research experience to use. Prior to co-founding the Research Academy, Mia was Associate Director at YouthSight, where her clients included the Institute of Physics, the Student Loans Company, and FTSE 400 companies. She also coordinated the in-house training programme and helped the company become an accredited provider of the MRS Advanced Certificate.
From 2006 to 2011, Mia was a Lecturer for the University of Westminster’s MA/MSc Applied Market and Social Research. She led four of the eight MA/MSc modules, delivered the MRS Diploma curriculum, and supervised dissertations. During this time, she also conducted freelance research for a number of education and public sector clients.
Mia is a Certified Member of the Market Research Society (CMRS) and a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy. She holds a BA in Government and Politics, an MA in Applied Social and Market Research, and a PG Cert in Higher Education from the University of Westminster.
Mia is a qualified Mountain Leader. In her spare time, she works as a mountain guide in Eryri (Snowdonia) and grows her own vegetables. She also volunteers with the Snowdonia Society, Ogwen Valley Mountain Rescue, Energy Local Bethesda, and Bethesda Wholefoods.
Sia Sha co-founded the Research Academy with Mia Walker. He is the Course Leader for the MRS Advanced Certificate, and Module Leader for Unit 5 of the MRS Diploma. As MD, Education, he ensures that our pedagogical approach is evidence-led and up-to-date. He’s also the reason that our online course delivery runs smoothly!
Sia also manages projects for the Research Academy’s agency arm, RA Consulting. Here, he works on international projects with clients such as Cambridge Assessment, putting his 10+ years of research experience to use. More recently, Sia has branched out in other sectors. He currently works with a variety of start-ups such as Greenwood Burns, a fintech company.
Prior to co-founding the Research Academy, Sia worked as a researcher and lecturer at a range of higher education institutions. At the University of East London, he taught statistics to masters and PhD students. At the University of Westminster, he worked on a variety of research projects such as zero carbon emission, ischaemic heart disease, and youth employment. Sia has also been a freelance researcher, working with a variety of clients such as Action for Bow, YouthSight, and Corus Entertainment.
Sia holds a BA in Sociology from Goldsmiths, University of London, and an MSc in Applied Market and Social Research from the University of Westminster.
Liz has worked in research for over 30 years, starting out as an interviewer. She has an MA in Geography from the University of Oxford, and a PhD in Applied Geography from the University of London. Before setting up her own business 11 years ago, she was a senior director at several leading agencies, including GfK NOP (now IPSOS) and RI (now Kantar)
She conducts a broad range of UK and international projects across businesses and consumers, using both qualitative and quantitative techniques. She works directly for clients such as Legal & General and Accenture, as well as for agencies such as Kantar, IPSOS, and Opinium. She particularly enjoys helping clients understand their customer experiences, shopper behaviour, and new product development.
Liz has developed and run training courses at GfK NOP, as well as for the Business Intelligence Group (BIG). She also worked on the mentoring programme at GfK NOP. She is a Certified Member of the Market Research Society and a member of the Association for Qualitative Research (AQR), BIG, and the Independent Consulting Group (ICG).
Chris has more than 20 years of experience in research, consultancy, and marketing services management. He has a long track record in academic research, having studied research methods at Aston University and subsequently worked as a policy analyst and as a senior lecturer in a business school. After moving into service management, Chris led market strategy at Staffordshire University and at Northumbria University and held a similar post in an NHS training college. He has also worked outside of the academic sector, spending four years as a management consultant in an advertising agency, and has run his own research consultancy since 2007.
Chris’s research experience extends across quantitative and qualitative methods. He works on a wide range of projects but particularly enjoys those concerned with market positioning, competitive strategy, and new product development. He has a particular interest in complex, multi-methodology research.
He is a member of the MRS, CIM, and the Independent Consultants Group. Chris holds a BSc (Social and Physical Sciences), an MSc (Social Aspects of Science and Technology), an MPhil (Marketing), and a CertEd.
Becky has 25 years’ market research experience across the commercial and public sectors and in-depth knowledge of research strategies, methodologies, analysis and interpretation.
She has been a freelance Insight Consultant for over 10 years and has worked with clients and in partnership with other agencies and freelancers on qualitative and quantitative projects including audience profiling, U&A, market landscape, brand and advertising awareness, NPD, concept testing and thought leadership. Whilst freelancing she has held roles in the public sector at Pension Wise (DWP) and Money and Pensions Service and in the Insight & Evaluation team of the Comms department at the Department for International Trade (DIT).
Previously Becky was Research Director at YouthSight, a full-service agency and access panel specialising in young people, students and young professionals. She also worked in the Insight team at London Undergroundand started her career at BMRB where she worked on a range of face to face, telephone, postal and online surveys.
Becky graduated from the University of Exeter with a BA (Society Economy and Social Policy) and a MA (Applied Population Research). She is a Certified member of the MRS and holds the MRS Diploma in Applied Market & Social Research.
Sustainability
The planet is edging ever closer to climate disaster. Every company and every business leader must play their part, no matter how small the business. That’s why we signed the MRS Net Zero Pledge in October 2021. This commits us to:
- Making our businesses net zero by 2026.
- Tracking and publishing our carbon emissions, working to reduce and offset those emissions and publishing these figures annually.
- Collaborating with others to share learnings and best practices to achieve the above goals.
- Supporting and encouraging conversations with our employees, partners and clients about environmental concerns and viewpoints.
We’ve been a remote-first business since 2013, so our carbon footprint is different to that of the typical office-based business. Becoming carbon-neutral means we’ll shift to green web hosting, and help employees and contractors take their home offices to net zero.
Research Academy MD Mia Lorenz is a member of the MRS Sustainability Council, which works to take the MRS Net Zero Pledge forward.
Diversity and inclusion
The Research Academy’s founders are a woman and a man of colour. So we know what it’s like to face discrimination in educational and workplace settings. As you can imagine, inclusion and diversity are issues close to our hearts!
We aim to make learning engaging and effective for all our students, regardless of who you are or where you’re from. We want you to be able to express yourself and to broaden your horizons. So for instance when we teach questionnaire design, we talk about what’s appropriate when asking about gender and age.
Our pedagogical approach
We’ve done our homework on what works best for busy people studying part-time for professional qualifications. In a nutshell,