Good consultancy, says Lucia Loffreda, starts with listening. In this edition of our Meet the Team series, we’re getting to know Lucia, Senior Consultant, who specialises in open science, international development and research policy.
You joined Research Consulting in 2018, progressing from Researcher to Senior Consultant. How has your role evolved over that time?
I joined after graduating with a degree in International Relations from the University of Nottingham. When I first started, my work was focused on desk-based research against specific questions. I’d gather and analyse information that others would then shape into recommendations. Over time, I’ve moved much more into listening, advising and working directly with clients. That shift has been really important – because so much of good consultancy is about understanding people’s problems properly before you try to solve them.
There’s a temptation, when a client comes with a question, to assume you already know the shape of the answer. It’s a bit like someone starting to tell the story of Goldilocks – you think you know what’s coming next, so you stop really listening and fill in the blanks. But their version of the story is often more specific, more complicated, or just different from what you expected.
A lot of your work sits at the intersection of open science and international research systems. What most interests you about that space?
I’m particularly interested in how research systems operate across different contexts. Because I studied International Relations, I’ve always been drawn to situations where you have multiple actors with a shared goal, but different incentives and constraints. You can think you understand a problem – but when you encounter it in a different country or organisation, it can look very different.
I’ve worked on projects spanning Africa, Asia, Latin America and Europe, including research capacity strengthening and open science initiatives. In each case, you’re reminded that infrastructure, funding systems, policy environments and cultural expectations around research can vary hugely.
In a recent multi-country evaluation looking at genomic sequencing during the pandemic, we spoke to research teams across several continents about the challenges they faced and how funders could respond more effectively in future emergencies.
Visiting one of the labs in person was a real ‘penny drop’ moment. Seeing the infrastructure pressures researchers were working under – things like equipment constraints or limited physical space – made those challenges tangible in a way that data alone never could.
It really reinforced for me that what works in one setting doesn’t necessarily translate elsewhere.
You’re an experienced mixed-methods researcher. How important is qualitative depth in consultancy work?
Extremely important. Numbers can tell you what is happening but talking to people helps you understand why, and what it actually means in practice. It’s very hard to replace this.
On larger projects, we might conduct hundreds of interviews. The challenge is identifying the narrative – what’s systemic, what’s recurring, and what’s a single experience expressed very strongly.
There’s definitely an art to it, not just a science. You also have to think carefully about who the findings are for. If you’re reporting to a funder, what can they realistically act on? That shapes how you interpret and present the evidence.
What’s distinctive about Research Consulting’s approach?
One thing I value is how seriously we take collaboration – especially internationally.
We don’t just sit in the UK and run projects remotely. We work closely with associates across continents to ensure we’re gathering advice and insight that’s rooted in local realities, not just filtered through a UK lens.
I really enjoy that aspect. Associates bring deep contextual knowledge of different research systems and sectors. That insight really shapes the quality of the work – and I learn a lot through those collaborations.
From your perspective, how is the global research landscape shifting?
There’s a lot of uncertainty at the moment. In the US, thousands of grants have been terminated or frozen, and the disruption ranges from individual research projects through to longer-term damage to the agencies and infrastructure that global research depends on. Closer to home, nearly half of UK universities are facing deficits, and significant cuts to research and research support are being made.
I’ve also seen strong collective responses to this – researchers and institutions coming together to advocate for the value of research. Even when the catalyst is negative, that solidarity is encouraging.
What do you see as some of the ongoing challenges in embedding open research practices?
The people we speak to and work with are all incredibly committed and thoughtful.
But one challenge is creating better dialogue across sectors. Institutions, funders and infrastructure providers don’t always have clear lines of sight into each other’s perspectives.
On a recent project it was striking how important it was simply to bring different voices together and clarify what each group actually thinks. We sometimes assume that knowledge is already shared – but it often isn’t. Bringing those voices together can be transformative.
What might surprise people about the day-to-day reality of consultancy?
It’s a lot of project management – and juggling multiple projects at once.
But something people might not realise is the synergies between them. Even when projects are confidential and separate, you develop a kind of meta-view of the landscape – the common challenges, recurring questions and emerging themes. Seeing those patterns emerge across projects is probably one of the most interesting parts of my role.
And finally, what helps you reset outside of work?
I tend to get very absorbed in whatever I’m working on. So genuinely stepping away matters to me. My favourite way to do that is spending time with friends — whether that’s catching something at Broadway Cinema or working our way through the restaurants in Hockley. It sounds simple, but properly switching off like that is what helps me come back to a problem with fresh eyes.
