Dr Charles Laurie supports the organisation’s day-to-day leadership, business development and delivery across major research and innovation projects. As part of Fast Track Impact’s wider training team, he brings more than 20 years of experience in research, advisory and strategic analysis to discussions of research impact, evidence quality and institutional decision-making. His contribution helps connect impact planning and REF-oriented thinking with the practical realities of research delivery, funder expectations and organisational strategy.
Dr Laurie holds a PhD in political sociology from the University of Oxford and an MPhil in social and political science from the University of Cambridge. His academic work focused on developing practical methodological strategies for gathering and interpreting evidence in challenging research environments, including doctoral fieldwork in Zimbabwe on the causes and dynamics of violent farm invasions.
He later applied this research expertise in senior advisory roles, including as Senior Director at the global risk analytics and consultancy firm Verisk Maplecroft. In that role, he led research and advisory projects for major corporations, aid agencies and intergovernmental organisations, including clients in extractives, technology, manufacturing, banking and pharmaceuticals. This work gives him a strong applied perspective on how evidence is produced, tested and used in complex decision-making settings.
