Services & Expertise

ReConnect specializes in research and writing related to the environmental social sciences. Our projects often involve elements of research design, engagement with stakeholders (interviews, focus groups, surveys), literature syntheses, peer reviews, and/or preparation of research reports and position papers. Please get in touch to start a conversation about how ReConnect can support your organization, government, or business’ important work.

Applied Social Science Research

ReConnect supports all stages of the research process: refining research questions, designing appropriate methods, carrying out qualitative methods (interviews, workshops, surveys), analysis, and writing. Whether you need guidance with certain stages or a consultant to carry out the whole research process, ReConnect uses a collaborative approach to ensure that your questions are answered and your goals are met.

  • Attention to the process of research in ways that recognize equity and justice

  • Research-oriented engagement

  • Interactive and conversational interviews

  • Survey and stakeholder interview design

  • Identification of meaningful and impactful recommendations

Writing & Editing Services

Writing can be daunting. Some people thrive with jotting down first drafts and then struggle to re-organize ideas. Others have a hard time committing to putting words on a page. Sometimes you don’t have enough time to put into the writing process, and sometimes you simply need some critical feedback. Wherever you are in the writing process, ReConnect can help organize and present your ideas in ways that are suited to your audience.

  • Proposal writing

  • Analysis of existing datasets and drafting of results

  • Manuscript editing

  • Responding to peer reviews

Knowledge Synthesis & Translation

Environmental challenges are inherently complicated and often contested. In fields where research is continually evolving, it can be critical to gather an up to date understanding of points of tension and agreement. Making sense of those trends can be most valuable when interpreted in light of policies and planning. ReConnect helps identify worldviews and narratives in ways that facilitate the development of effective and durable approaches for addressing environmental challenges

  • Identification of relevant literature and experts

  • Summary of trends and insights on key topics

  • Search string design

  • Annotated bibliographies

  • Reporting suited to your needs

What Clients Say About Working With ReConnect

 “We had a wonderful experience working with Mark and Graham. We were looking for a team of consultants who were truly interested in co-creating and collaborating on the output we were seeking to create (a social monitoring guide) and found just that. Mark and Graham both brought their deep technical knowledge and their networks of knowledgeable scientists to our project, and worked in close collaboration with us to ensure that what we developed as fit-for-context and adapted to the needs of our organization.”

— Shauna Mahajan (Lead Social Scientist, Global Science, World Wildlife Fund)

 “ReConnect proved to be incredibly valuable with their thoughtful approach to engagement and consultation. Mark and Joy were able to pull cohesive narratives backed by stakeholder input obtained from surveys, interviews and workshops. Thanks to ReConnect we came away with insights that were key to our coalition of organizations working on strategic conservation planning in southern Ontario. I would highly recommend working with ReConnect if you are looking for community engagement and consultation on conservation projects.”

— Jackie Hamilton (Senior Research and Policy Advisor, Greenbelt Foundation)

“It was a pleasure to work with Mark and Lowine on an assignment on decolonisation of climate action. Throughout the assignment, Mark and Lowine were professional, hardworking and committed to the task outlined in their ToR, ensuring they met their deliverables on time, and produced reports and presentations to a high quality and standard, utilising their expertise on this topic. They also conducted a number of key informant interviews with staff and partners, able to engage a range of actors, build good relationships, and capture, analyse and present information obtained clearly and concisely. I hope to work with them again and would highly recommend them to others.”

— Sarah McIvor (Senior Researcher, Climate Change Group, International Institute of Environment and Development)

“Working with Mark and Graham was a fantastic experience and we couldn’t have asked for a better collaboration. We were looking for a team of consultants with expertise in assessing social outcomes of conservation interventions, but with enough flexibility and patience to work with us and help us realize our vision. Together we developed a light-touch yet comprehensive social monitoring and evaluation toolkit that may be used across our organization (WWF) and external collaborators for years to come. They brought years of experience to this endeavor, a rich network of external social scientists, and tremendous persistence and enthusiasm during the lengthy feedback process by us and dozens of reviewers. As a non-social scientist , I’ve learned a lot from Mark and Graham over the past few months and I am looking forward to future collaborations. ”

— Abel Valdivia (Marine Conservation Scientist, Oceans Team, World Wildlife Fund)

“It was a pleasure to work with Mark on a recent human dimensions study. He quickly made sense of a complicated dataset and generated a report that was a lucid synthesis of survey data. We then worked collaboratively to turn it into a peer reviewed paper. His ability to distill data into simple story lines and his command of the literature ensured that our work was impactful.

— Steven J. Cooke (Department of Biology and Institute of Environmental and Interdisciplinary Sciences) and Nathan Young (School of Sociological and Anthropological Studies)