About me
Kate O'Hara is an ESRC-funded part-time PhD student of quantitative social research methods, specialising in applied multilevel modelling, and works as a Data Specialist on the FORTH2O project. She is an experienced analyst of large social survey data, working with datasets such as Understanding Society and the UK Labour Force Survey both in the academic context and in her role as analyst for independent research consultancy Braw Data.
Kate's PhD project in Applications of Multilevel Modelling is rooted in sociology but her work has strong interdisciplinary relevance as it examines techniques and applications across the social sciences, and such methods are of relevance in other fields of study where large, observational datasets are analysed.
Alongside this project, Kate researches infant feeding, particularly the ways in which social factors are involved with breastfeeding decisions and outcomes. Her further research interests are public health messaging and policy, measurement and methodology of social data, and social stratification generally.
Kate is a graduate in 2022 of the MSc Applied Social Research (Social Statistics and Social Research) at the University of Stirling, and prior to this was a classroom and community teacher of music for many years. She teaches quantitative research methods on several undergraduate and postgraduate courses, and is passionate about teaching, learning and research communication. Her recent professional development activities include advanced topics in multilevel modelling, introductory Bayesian analysis methods, and strategic approaches to workflow and replicability.
Kate is an active participant in research communities in the Universities of Stirling and Edinburgh, and is a founder member and coordinator of the PGR-student-oriented Large Social Surveys Research Group.
Quantitative research methods, large social surveys, social inequalities, social stratification, open data, reproducible research.
Teaching
I tutor on a range of undergraduate and postgraduate models focusing on research process and quantitative research methods. I love to work with newcomers to statistics.
Prior to coming back to university I was a school teacher and community music educator for many years, and I am passionate about teaching and learning and engagement.