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Research

Evaluation and Impact

Evaluation and Impact

About us

The Evaluation and Impact Team was formed in April 2019 to meet the demand by external agencies for research that informs and benefits the local and regional economy. The Team is made up of three permanent researchers dedicated to responding to external requests for research informed evaluation and interventions.

What we do

We work with organisations to tackle major challenges in a holistic way by:

  • Supporting external organisations to easily access and navigate the breadth of skills and expertise within the University
  • Supporting University colleagues to find and work with people who are interested in similar work and have complementary skills

What we offer

The Evaluation and Impact Team are highly skilled in real-world research using a variety of techniques and methods and work alongside Teesside University staff to provide access and support for new research opportunities. Support is provided to academics to bid for, and successfully complete contract research opportunities. The team uses its networks to bring together University experts with businesses, third sector organisations and other universities to facilitate partnership opportunities.


Services

  • Collaborative Research
  • Contract Research
  • Evaluations
  • Grant Application / Funding Bid Development
  • Evidence Synthesis / Systematic Reviewing
  • Search Strategies
  • Feasibility Studies
  • Business Engagement
  • Training
  • Social Return on Investment
  • Knowledge Transfer Partnerships

How we can support:

  • initial meetings with prospective partners
  • elucidation of research requirements
  • bid and tender writing
  • costings
  • navigating the ethical approval process (Teesside University and IRAS)
  • project facilitation
  • project management
  • quantitative research methods
  • qualitative research methods
  • final reports
  • dissemination
  • academic paper writing
  • peer review

Ready to work with us?

Email us directly with your query and we will get in touch to arrange a discussion about how we, or our colleagues can help.

Research centres

Team Profiles


Dr Helen Moore: Associate Professor (Research)

Dr Helen Moore: Associate Professor (Research)

Helen leads the day-to-day work of the Evaluation and Impact Team. Helen studied at Durham University, where she obtained a BSc (Hons) in Cell Biology. She followed that up with an MSc in Information Technology, and a PhD in Nutrition and Obesity both from Teesside University. Her PhD consisted of two Cochrane systematic reviews and an analysis of data from a large cohort of patients with Type 2 Diabetes.

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Helen has worked as a Research Associate on a large educational value added assessment project, as a Post-Doctoral Research Associate on many different trials and evaluation projects, as a Lecturer in Research Methods, as a Knowledge Transfer Partnerships Manager at Teesside University and, most recently, as the EPSRC Knowledge Exchange Manager at Durham University.

Helen's research focuses on public health, children and education, and is supported by a two-pronged approach: a) synthesising the currently available primary evidence into a review format (rapid reviews to systematic reviews) and b) the development and evaluation of community based interventions to prevent and treat obesity in children.

Helen's skills are varied, but she particularly enjoys helping people design their evaluation work to generate the most useful results with the resource available. Helen is a member of the Association of the Study of Obesity, Fuse, SPHR, and the Cochrane Collaboration.

Helen is well published, and her work is highly cited; all citations: 6500, h-index: 33, i10-index: 47. She regularly publishes in high-ranking and impactful journals including, Journal of Sports Science, Trials, Systematic Reviews, Obesity Reviews, Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, The BMJ, BMJ Open, and Journal of Physical Activity and Health.

Helen has an excellent track record of attracting research grant funding.

Helen has previously supervised a number of PhD and MPhil candidates to completion.

See Helen's full biography


Dr Nick Gray: Research Associate

Dr Nick Gray: Research Associate

Nick joined the Evaluation and Impact Team from Northumbria University where he completed a PhD focusing on regional governance and economies in England, and the notion of place based or "place sensitive" development. Prior to this Nick worked for several years as policy advisor in Local Government, leading or to multiple policy areas including economic analysis, devolution and regional governance, welfare reform, migration and asylum, and social inclusion.

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In this role, Nick's successful projects included, A living wage for Newcastle, The Newcastle Fairness Commission, and the Newcastle Future Needs Assessment – a collaborative and evidence-based approach to bringing partners together to determine priorities for the city.

Nick's research interests include in urban and regional governance and development (particularly UK regional economic inequality), labour markets, and social security policy. He is an experienced qualitative researcher, including interviewing and content analysis and he also expert in the use of quantitative data to develop and evaluate public policy.
Nick's academic projects include the political economy of place-based development, a detailed empirical and critical investigation into current subnational policy, focussing on its geographies, political relationships, decentralised institutions, and emergent policy rhetoric and planning for growth, an exploration of the potential role of local enterprise partnerships in spatial planning.

See Nick's full biography


Hannah Poulter: Research Associate

Hannah Poulter: Research Associate

Hannah graduated in 2012 from Leeds University with first class honours in Psychological Science and is finalising her MSc in Health Psychology and Clinical Skills at Teesside University. Hannah also has a University Advanced Certificate in Cognitive Behavioural Studies and Skills from the University of Derby.

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Hannah has worked in a variety of roles in the housing sector, most recently as Research Analyst on the Policy and Research team at Thirteen. In this role she delivered a range of qualitative and quantitative research projects on issues subjects affecting Thirteen and their customers, such as debt and income. Prior to this she worked in business development, where she supported on a number of high-level strategic projects in the employability and training sector, including the development of grants and bids. One of these projects being DWP's and ESF's Youth Employment Initiative (YEI) programme which brought over of 1.5million pounds into the Tees Valley, and so far, has supported over 1200 people with employment education or training support. Her career began as a support worker and she has worked in settings for young parents, mental health, families within the social care system and individuals suffering drug and alcohol addiction.

Hannah is interested in research which focuses on reducing health inequalities and increases psychological, physical and social wellbeing for vulnerable groups. Her current research looks at the relationship between in-work poverty and health behaviours. Hannah is interested in drug and alcohol research and support interventions, with previous work looking at legal highs. Future interests include suicidality prevention and the link between health and housing including e-health innovations such as telecare.
Hannah particularly enjoys implementing new contracts and taking projects from inception to routine operation.

See Hannah's full biography


Andrea Mountain: Research Assistant

Andrea Mountain: Research Assistant

Andrea graduated with a first-class honours degree in Sociology and was awarded a distinction in her MPH in Public Health (both from Teesside University).

Prior to re-entering education in 2012, Andrea had worked for a strategic outsourcing company, where she was responsible for performance management, tradespeople and customer liaison, marketing and customer satisfaction.

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Andrea joined Teesside University in 2015 working on projects looking at the impact of loneliness and social isolation, and the challenges faced by those at risk of extreme hardship.

Andrea's research interests focus on reducing health inequalities and the impacts of poverty, such as food insecurity. Andrea works on various research and evaluation projects with the most recent being the evaluation of a blood-borne virus test prompt in local GP surgeries to help tackle rates of late diagnosis of HIV, Hepatitis B and Hepatitis C.

See Andrea's full biography

Management Board

Professor Paul Crawshaw

Professor Paul Crawshaw is Dean of the School of Social Sciences, Humanities & Law, responsible for strategic leadership of the School, and is an internationally recognised medical sociologist with particular interests in public health, risk and health governance.

See Paul's full biography

Professor Natasha Vall

Professor Natasha Vall is the Associate Dean for Research and Innovation in the School of Social Sciences, Humanities & Law, and a Professor of urban and cultural history.

See Natasha's full biography

Dr Helen Dudiak

Dr Helen Dudiak is the Associate Dean for Enterprise and Knowledge Exchange in the School of Social Sciences, Humanities & Law.

See Helen's full biography

Expertise

The team has expertise in the following areas:

  • Asylum Seeking
  • Cognitive Behaviour
  • Drug and alcohol issues
  • Employment training
  • Health Psychology
  • Information Technology
  • Labour markets
  • Local and regional governance
  • Mental health
  • Migration
  • Nutrition
  • Obesity
  • Physical Activity
  • Policy
  • Psychological science
  • Public Health
  • Regional economic policy
  • Welfare to work sector

Data Management and Software Use

The team has significant experience in using applied quantitative and qualitative data analysis methods using various computer programs including:

  • ActiLife
  • Endnote
  • HACT Social Value Analysis
  • Microsoft Excel, Access and Visio
  • Nvivo
  • RefMan
  • RevMan
  • Social Return On Investment
  • SPSS

Research Methods

The team has worked on a wide variety of research projects and evaluations and have particular strengths in the following methods:

  • Academic Database Searching
  • Consultations
  • Content Analysis
  • Co-production
  • Creative Methods for Children
  • Dietary intake assessment
  • Evaluation
  • Evidence synthesis
  • Focus Groups
  • Interviews
  • Primary Research
  • Secondary Data Analysis
  • Systematic Reviews
  • Thematic Analysis
  • Trained Families Nurturing Facilitator

Project Management and Business Skills

The Evaluation and Impact Team has collectively over 20 years of project management experience, providing support to the development of bids, grants and tenders. We can support you with various elements of project management including:

  • Academic writing
  • Bid and tender response writing
  • Business performance metrics
  • Critical Thinking
  • Customer Satisfaction Data
  • Dissemination of results
  • Ethical approvals (University and HRA)
  • Financial management
  • Impact Development
  • Plain English writing
  • Procurement experience
  • Project costing
  • Relationship Management
  • Report writing
  • Uimprove Facilitator
  • Uimprove Project Management

Contact

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