Katharine is committed to making every research project for our clients a success. At Anthro-Tech, she supports end-to-end research studies through user sourcing, participant engagement, and logistical coordination. With a background in data analysis and automation, she combines technical skills with her curiosity and drive to understand user needs to create processes that empower our research teams to do their best work.

Tell us about your background and what led you to work at Anthro-Tech?

My background is in academic librarianship. While I was in libraries, I developed automation software and conducted research with library users of all types! This combination of activities got me hooked on gathering honest feedback and using it to improve the services and tools I delivered to my users.

When I first came across Anthro-Tech, I was excited to see the focus on social impact and human-centered design. After working for and with the public through state universities, I wanted to keep my career centered on using research to positively impact peoples’ lives!

What does a typical workday at A-T involve for you?

I divide my time between multiple government projects, where I focus on research planning, study logistics, and participant recruitment. This often looks like collaborating with our Accessibility experts to make sure our studies are inclusive and accessible for any participant. You can also find me working with our UX Researchers to understand our clients’ research questions and define the groups of people who can best answer them.

I love getting into the weeds of research operations. Setting up recruitment screeners, centering inclusivity in our studies, and ensuring a great experience for our participants are a few of my favorite things I get to do.

When I’m not focused on client work, I’m usually documenting our internal research processes and testing new tools. I draw on my past developing automation software to identify efficiencies that enable my colleagues to streamline their work and spend more time problem-solving for clients.

What are some of the exciting projects you've worked on at Anthro-Tech?

In my time first year at A-T, I’ve already worked on some very diverse projects. One of the most exciting opportunities I’ve had is to help King County Metro establish a new research panel. This project has everything I love – a focus on hearing diverse perspectives, documenting new workflows, and great collaboration between Anthro-Tech and Metro’s Research Team. Plus, I recently moved to western Washington, and I’m excited to be building something that will impact my local area in such a positive way.

Another project I’m proud of is our work with the Washington State Department of Health (DOH) to assess its COVID-19 vaccine verification website for accessibility. I supported an inclusive usability study and helped the team make suggestions to improve the website’s cognitive accessibility. I’m super passionate about making things accessible beyond the legal requirements and doing that for an essential health service will be a big boost in keeping everyone safe and informed.

What are some interesting facts about you?

Two of my favorite hobbies are focused on fungus! One is photographing mushrooms I see out in the wild on hikes, and the other is baking with my own sourdough starter (did you know yeast is a fungus?). I like to carve elaborate shapes into my loaves so they’re delicious for both the stomach and eyes.

I love being near water – I grew up a few miles from the Atlantic, and now I live less than a mile from the Puget Sound! You can usually find me toting binoculars to watch the seabirds and seals, diving ducks like Goldeneyes and Surf Scoters are some of my favorites to spot.

Kathrine’s ability to coordinate complex schedules and projects with useful solutions makes her an asset to our team and clients. Her passion for making all research studies accessible ensures our participants have the best experience and helps our research team obtain the most accurate insights. We are excited to have her as part of our team!