The founders of Arcola Research are Joe Cullen and Damian Hayward, who are the organisation’s ‘Designated Members’. As a partnership, Arcola Research works with an international team of ‘core Associates’ who carry out much of our work. These core Associates are supported by an additional pool of international researchers who provide specialist skills for specific assignments, as required.
Designated Members
Dr Joe Cullen studied Social Sciences at the Universities of Durham, Dundee, Cambridge and Birkbeck College, London, obtaining an M.A., PhD and Dip. Psych. He spent some years as an academic, at the Universities of Cambridge, Loughborough, Leeds, London Metropolitan and the Open University, teaching social sciences and research methods. He was formerly Principal Researcher and Academic Dean at the Tavistock Institute, London, where he also served as a member of the Editorial Board of ‘Human Relations’. He is currently Principal Associate, the Tavistock Institute, and advisor to the Board of the MENON Network, Brussels. Dr Cullen has been co-ordinator/project manager of a range of research, evaluation and RTD projects, covering learning, health, inclusion, technology and social policy including working with people affected by HIV/AIDS, in offending prevention and rehabilitation, youth work, drugs, ‘science and society’ programmes, cultural diversity; mental health; violent extremism; social innovation. He has carried out over 100 research and evaluation assignments, including evaluations of major EU initiatives.
Core Associates
Greg Holloway
Greg initially studied Biochemistry and Genetics (University of East Anglia – UEA), before moving into the social sciences and going on to study Anthropology, Sociology and Psychology (Goldsmiths, University of London and the UK Open University). He has held a Research Assistantship at Imperial College, London including a visiting lectureship at the Centre for Research in Drugs and Health Behaviour (CRDHB), whilst it was based at Imperial College and subsequently working with CRDBH at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. He has a wide range of skills and experience in a range of domains, covering: performing arts, community and social change events, music, construction and urban design, education and training initiatives, adventure education, mentoring, training and support initiatives, public health, wellness, conflict, risk behaviour, marginalisation, language, the human-technology interface and social and digital inclusion. He has coordinated and implemented a wide range of complex studies and social science research projects in communities, and agencies frequently involving hard-to-reach populations including young people – especially from lower socioeconomic status backgrounds – the homeless, ethnic minority groups, drug users, ‘hidden’ populations and wider local communities. He has also carried out extensive fieldwork in disease transmission and health surveillance, criminality and conflict, social cohesion, and studies investigating the dynamics affecting the evening and night-time economy, social cohesion and community. This has included innovative projects and social actions – including festivals and workshops – designed to engage and affect communities (Action Research) as well as ethnographic and video ethnography work. He has particular expertise in mixed quantitative-ethnographic research including lifeworld analysis and evaluation.
Clare Cullen
Clare Cullen was until recently a researcher in Human Computer Interaction (HCI) at the University of Bristol, working as a research associate in multisensory interaction and education for the EPSRC funded CRITICAL project (Crossmodal Interactive Tools for Inclusive Learning), co-designing interactive learning technologies for visually impaired and sighted children in mainstream schools. Her PhD research in cognitive science (Queen Mary University, London) focuses on the links between multisensory rhythm processing and reading impairments (including dyslexia and specific language impairment), and possible digital interventions for language remediation. She has worked with Arcola Research on several digital inclusion projects, including ‘Mapping and Assessing the impact of ICT-based initiatives for the socio-economic inclusion of young people at risk of exclusion’, ‘LINKS-UP: Learning 2.0 for an Inclusive Knowledge Society’, and ‘TEACHUS: improving digital competences in classroom teaching’ and the ‘LIVE-IT’ project – using collaborative ‘Living Labs’ to co-design solutions for improved web accessibility for people with cognitive disabilities.
Amy Harris
Has a background in arts, graduating from the London College of Fashion, followed by experience in education and research. A former teacher, she is currently working on research and evaluation projects in developing teachers’ leadership competences; mapping the Night Time Economy, assessing the impact of action research programmes for young people at risk of social exclusion, improving web accessibility for people with cognitive disabilities and delivering learning programmes for a wide range of target groups. She has expertise in quantitative and qualitative research methods, including literature and interventions reviews.
Emma Hamilton
Has a Masters qualification from Birkbeck, London in Government, Policy and Politics and a Masters in Economics from Greenwich University. She was previously Editorial Manager on the ‘Evaluation’ Journal. She has experience in a wide range of research and evaluation projects. She has wide experience in desk research, and in both quantitative (surveys) and qualitative (interviews, case studies) data collection methods.