Episode 8: Nishita Gill

Research That Scales is a nine-part podcast series inspired by my book, Research That Scales: A Research Operations Handbook (Rosenfeld, 2024). In each thirty-minute episode, I speak with a brilliant research mind, weaving in voice notes and sound design to bring their stories to life. Together, we explore what scaling research means, beyond the platitudes and jargon, and what it takes to turn the vision of scalable, impactful research into a robust reality.“We need to reconfigure what we thought of as a researcher, and what is really valuable. Because we have been gifted with the fluidity of skills to understand human behaviour and deliver it across many mediums.”—Nishita GillIn this episode, I speak with Nishita Gill, founder of the strategic design agency Treemouse, and now a behavioural strategist for the Clinton Health Access Initiative. Nishita offers a refreshing and inspiring perspective on scaling research, arguing that real scalability requires rethinking how research is valued, structured, and operationalised within organisations.We explore how scaling research is not about bigger studies or larger headcounts, but about building systems that are predictable, proportional, and measurable. Nishita and I discuss the parallels between research systems and orchestral compositions, the need for leaders to write the 'sheet music' before operations can orchestrate it, and how behavioural science models can support nimble but lasting research infrastructures. Expect musical analogies throughout!This conversation is a reminder that scaling research isn’t just a technical or operational challenge—it’s a cultural one. We talk about the shifts needed for researchers to embrace broader, more fluid roles and the importance of building calm, trust-based environments to enable learning and insight.Things Mentioned* Research That Scales: A Research Operations Handbook (Rosenfeld, 2024)* Treemouse, the Delhi-based strategic design agency founded by Nishita* Clinton Health Access Initiative* Irrational Labs, a behavioural science consultancy* Busara, a behavioural science consultancy based in Nairobi, Kenya* Richard Thaler, a Nobel Prize-winning behavioural economistScaling & Systematising Research–a One-Day MasterclassThis year, I'm running in-person masterclasses for research, product, design, operations, and marketing leaders in Europe, the UK, and Australia. If you want to transform research into a scalable insights-generating engine, this masterclass is for you. ThanksThanks, Glenn Familton, for being a reviewer and co-producer, and Avec Audio Visual for audio engineering. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit katetowsey.substack.com