Dr Ksenia Crane has worked at the University of Southampton in a research capacity since 2016. Following an early research career in neurodegenerative disease research, Dr Crane has gained expertise in multidisciplinary qualitative and mixed-methods research which she uses to conduct metaresearch and health research in her current role as a research fellow at the School of Healthcare Enterprise and Innovation contracted by the NIHR.
I am a Research Fellow at the NIHR Evaluation, Trials and Studies Coordinating Centre (NETSCC) since October 2019. We deliver high-quality mixed-methods research that meets the priorities of the NIHR to inform decision-making, policy and practice in research funding. As part of the NETSCC Insight team, which comprises researchers, evaluators, analysts, methodologists and programme managers, our role is to conduct research and provide expertise across the School of Healthcare, Enterprise and Innovation.
Our expertise is 'Research on Research' (RoR) (also known as metaresearch or the 'science of science') - a discipline that has grown substantially over the last decade due to increased interest in research culture and mechanisms of funding and reporting research. Our research addresses evidence gaps in the academic space and adds value to the NIHR and wider research community by informing on best policy and practices in research assessment and management within and outside the health sector. We do this by contributing to the wide evidence base on aspects of research management, from initiation to funding to dissemination, engagement and mobilisation, to promote knowledge sharing, reproducibility, transparency and better use and re-use of research data.