There's no single route into a career in market research, and Rachel Harrison’s journey to becoming an Insight Officer at Explain is a great example of just how varied the backgrounds and skills within our team can be.

With a PhD in feminist utopian fiction and experience working in the charity sector, Rachel might not have followed the most traditional path into research, but she's discovered that many of the skills she developed along the way are incredibly valuable in her role today.

Since joining Explain in April 2026, she's been getting involved in everything from interviewing research participants and moderating focus groups to analysing findings and presenting insights to clients.

We caught up with Rachel to find out more about her role, what she enjoys most about working in research and why there's much more to the job than numbers and spreadsheets.

Can you tell us a bit about your role at Explain?

I'm an Insight Officer, which means I get to work across lots of different projects and support different members of the team.

At the moment, I'm involved in a bit of everything! I help with online research communities, work on ad hoc and ongoing projects, write reports, conduct interviews and sometimes moderate focus groups.

One of the things I really like is that I get to work with lots of different people, both within Explain and across our client organisations. I'm still relatively new to the role, so it's a great opportunity to learn as much as I can and develop my skills in different areas of research.

What kinds of projects are you currently working on?

I've been doing quite a lot of work with Northumbrian Water Group recently, supporting several different research projects.

We've been running lots of focus groups, and I also had the opportunity to get involved in an in-person workshop, which was really interesting.

A lot of our research takes place online, so it was my first opportunity to be involved in something face-to-face. It was great to experience a different side of the research process and see how people engage with the topics we're exploring.

Your background is in literature. How did that lead you into market research?

I completed my PhD at the University of Dundee, specialising in feminist utopian fiction. I spent a lot of time reading some very obscure feminist science fiction, which was actually really interesting!

When I finished my PhD, I found myself working in the charity sector as a fundraiser. I enjoyed aspects of the job, but I quickly realised that it wasn't really where my strengths lay so I started looking for something that would allow me to use more of the skills I'd developed during my PhD, particularly analysing information, identifying patterns and finding connections between different ideas.

That's when I came across the role at Explain. As part of the interview process, I was given a practical research task, and I remember working through it and thinking, 'Actually, I really enjoy this!'

It involved organising data, looking for patterns and presenting findings, and I found the whole process really satisfying. Luckily, I got the job!

What attracted you to a career in research?

I think it was the combination of analysing information and communicating what you've discovered.

I really enjoy organising things and finding patterns in information, so the analytical side of research appealed to me straight away. During my PhD, I'd also spent a lot of time teaching, attending conferences and presenting quite specialist topics to different audiences. I really enjoyed that side of academia, and it's something I get to do again at Explain when we're presenting research findings to clients.

I think that's one of the things people might not realise about research. It's not just about collecting and analysing data. It's also about being able to explain what you've found and why it matters.

What do you enjoy most about your role?

Definitely the opportunities to talk to people!

I absolutely love conducting interviews. It's probably my favourite part of the job.

One of the things I find really interesting is that, in my previous role, I was often speaking to people because I wanted to ask them for money, whereas now I'm asking them for their opinions.

People generally love sharing their opinions, so it's lovely to have conversations with people who are genuinely keen to tell you what they think.

It's also really satisfying knowing that the research we're doing can have an impact on people and communities. Behind all the data are real people, and understanding their experiences is such an important part of the process.

What does a typical day look like for you?

I don't think there is a typical day, which is something I really enjoy!

I can look at my calendar at the beginning of the week and think I've got a relatively quiet few days ahead, but then all sorts of different things will come up.

Everyone at Explain is really supportive, and we're always helping each other out with different projects. Someone might ask if I'd like to get involved in something new or suggest that my skills would be useful on a particular piece of work.

I really like that variety and it’s something I enjoyed about working in the charity sector too.

I don't think I'd enjoy a job where I came in every day and did exactly the same thing. I like being able to get stuck into different things and never quite knowing what the week will bring. 

What have been your proudest moments since joining Explain?

I think it's been those first opportunities to take on new responsibilities.

The first time I got to moderate a focus group was really exciting. It's something I'd wanted to try, so being trusted to do that was a big moment for me. Another highlight was delivering my first client debrief for a project I'd been involved with from beginning to end. Since I'd worked on it throughout the research process, I knew the project inside out, and I was really excited to have the opportunity to present the findings.

Those moments when you realise how much you've learned and developed are really rewarding.

How has Explain supported you in developing your skills?

I think there's a lot of trust within the team, which is really nice.

The management and leadership team are very good at recognising when something might be a good opportunity for you and asking if you'd like to give it a go.

There's never a sense that you're being pushed into something you're not comfortable with, but you're encouraged to try new things and build your confidence. For someone who's relatively new to the industry, that's been really valuable. It's given me the opportunity to discover which parts of research I enjoy most and where I'd like to develop further.

What do you think people misunderstand about working in market research?

I think there's a perception that you have to be really good at maths or have a very data-focused background to work in research!

That was actually something that made me a little apprehensive when I first applied for the job. I didn't have a traditional data background, and I wondered whether that would be a problem. Instead what I've discovered is that there are so many different skills involved in research.

Some people are brilliant at working with quantitative data, while others are particularly good at interviewing people, moderating focus groups or writing reports.

There's no single skill set that makes someone a good researcher. Everyone brings different strengths, and you can find your own niche within the team.

I also think people underestimate how much of the job involves talking to people. Even the experience I gained working in retail when I was younger has been useful, because you learn how to have conversations with people you don't know and make them feel comfortable.

You don't always realise how transferable your skills are until you find yourself using them in a completely different setting.

What did you want to be when you were younger?

For a little while, I wanted to be a marine biologist, although I think that was mainly because I really liked dolphins!

Later on, when I was studying for my PhD, I was convinced I'd pursue a career in academia but by the time I'd finished, I realised that wasn't necessarily what I wanted to do.

I definitely didn't imagine I'd end up working in market research, but I think I've accidentally found something that really suits my skills and interests.

What's it like working in the centre of Newcastle?

I really like it!

There are lots of transport links, and it's great being based right in the city centre.

One of the best things is having an hour for lunch and being able to go for a wander around town. You can pop to Grainger Market, get something nice to eat or just have a walk around the shops.

It's probably a little dangerous for my bank balance, but it's a really nice place to work. 

What would you like to achieve next in your career?

I'd really like to continue developing my skills in qualitative research, particularly interviewing and moderating focus groups.

I love the conversations you get to have with people and the process of exploring their experiences and understanding why they think or feel a certain way. One of my longer-term goals would be to build up my confidence and experience to the point where I could independently facilitate a focus group.

I'm still at the beginning of my career in research, so I'm looking forward to continuing to learn, taking on new challenges and seeing where it takes me.

Interested in a career in research?

At Explain, we know that great researchers come from all kinds of backgrounds. Whether your strengths lie in analysing data, understanding people, solving problems or communicating ideas, there are lots of different ways to build a career in insight.

To find out more about working with us, visit our Join Our Team page.