CV

Zoé Waterlot

Researcher  |  Digital Technology & Practice

Glasgow, UK  ·   zoe.w.waterlot@gmail.com ·  LinkedIn · zoewaterlot.com

PROFILE

I research how digital technology reshapes decision-making inside organisations, from government agencies to international institutions. My work combines stakeholder interviews, workshops and analysis that turn an unclear problem into something a team can act on, then communication that brings non-technical stakeholders with it. Four years across academic, government and international settings have taught me how organisations actually adopt technology and where it stalls. I'm now moving into client-facing digital consultancy. PhD in Human Geography, University of Glasgow, completing August 2026.

EXPERIENCE

Doctoral Researcher - University of Glasgow                                                                                                                           

2022–2026

▪   Designed and led a four-year research project on how digital systems change the way institutions make decisions, running stakeholder interviews, focus groups and facilitated sessions across government, humanitarian and community settings

▪   Rescoped the project mid-delivery when a funding crisis changed conditions on the ground, reprioritising what could be delivered against ethical constraints

▪   Produced the operating documentation for a cross-cultural research team, defining processes, role boundaries and escalation routes where none existed

Policy Research Intern  - Scottish Government                                                                                                                       

2025–2026

▪   Worked within a research team reviewing Scotland's response to people displaced from Ukraine, turning stakeholder research into actionable findings and recommendations for policy teams

▪   Contributed to scope definition for part of the review and delivered analysis to deadline in a live policy environment

Project Administrator   Knowing Risk, International Research Partnership                                                             

2024–2025

▪   Managed delivery, budget monitoring and reporting for a £160k partnership between the University of Glasgow and Malawi University of Science and Technology

▪   Introduced structured 1:1 check-ins across a distributed team, proactively surfacing blockers and competing priorities before they affected delivery

Earlier: Research Assistant, University of Glasgow (2024) · Climate Research Assistant, UNICEF Innovation (2022)

EDUCATION

PhD, Human Geography — University of Glasgow (2026)

Thesis: Placing Digital Humanitarian Technologies. Funded by UNICEF and the Scottish Graduate School of Social Science.

MSc Earth Futures — University of Glasgow (2022)

MSc Environment & Development — University of Edinburgh (2021)

SKILLS

Discovery & Analysis  Stakeholder interviews and workshops · Qualitative research design · Evidence synthesis · Analysis under ambiguity

Delivery & Stakeholders  Project scoping and prioritisation · Project and budget management · Workshop organisation · Senior stakeholder engagement

Communication  Reports and documentation · Translating complexity for non-technical audiences · Workshop facilitation · Presenting to senior audiences

Tools & Languages  NVivo, Excel · French (native), English (bilingual)

OUTSIDE WORK

I run and hike because they clear my head in a way nothing else quite does. And when I need to think differently, I paint, or I write.