GIS

Researcher-Centric Methodology

As a creative individual, I have a natural strength in solving problems with no clear solution. During my time in the Department of Geography at McGill University, I consolidated four years of research into a qualitative vision paper to explain how creativity could work in a more systematic way.

Innovation and technology matter as an area of study in economics because they allow for us to be more productive without using additional people or physical capital to complete tasks.

My framework provides a new approach for systematically creating new ideas by treating the researcher as part of the research process. Having conducted countless case studies over the years in my personal time across various fields of research, I determined that including researcher-centric methodology into an educational practicum is the most effective way to prepare researchers for producing truly impactful work.

Housing Issues

In collaboration with Harvard University and a local nonprofit The Harvard Square Neighborhood Association (HSNA), we took a holistic look at the scarcity of housing in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

Despite being a relatively politically homogeneous and highly educated city, the housing issue had become one of the most divisive issues the city had encountered in decades.

Our insights would then be used to contribute relevant findings in order to improve the quality of the town-wide discussion.

Project Components

  • Interview local stakeholders and gather meaningful quantitative and qualitative insight
  • Develop a well-rounded perspective of the housing issue and how it affects various stakeholders and demographics
  • Source, process, and present data required to answer questions of interest with little to no direction
  • Bring attention to risks and opportunities in the existing debate

Outcomes

  1. Produced a report summarizing our findings
  2. Discovered key risks in development policies which were being pursued by the town, thereby preventing a mistake
  3. Clarified gaps in tax policy interpretations which undermined the quality of the local debate
  4. Uncovered and falsified disinformation influencing the local debate