What Clients Say

Testimonials

Don't just take our word for it. Here is what our partners have to say about working with QED.

It has been a pleasure working with Randi on our research exploring the experiences of rural engineering students. She has provided thoughtful guidance and a depth of expertise that has been instrumental in shaping the project. Randi is genuinely invested in supporting high-quality research, and I look forward to continuing to work together as we move into focus groups and qualitative data analysis.

Dr. Jennifer Detlor

Assistant Teaching Professor, University of Wisconsin-Madison

Dr. Sims's knowledge in qualitative methods has been critical for my research project. Not only has she provided quality analyses, but her ability to explain the proper methods has benefited my research greatly.

Dr. Stephanie Wettstein

Professor, Montana State University

Randi Sims is far and away one of the most qualified researchers and evaluators. Randi has worked with me on a variety of NSF projects and has impressive quantitative and qualitative skills.

Dr. Karen High

Professor, Clemson University

Our Work

Past Performance

A selection of projects where QED has provided evaluation and/or research support.

NSF IRES • 2025–2028

IRES: Student Research on Renewable Energy Technologies and Transition

NSF Award #2505507 (IRES) based at George Washington University, bringing U.S. students to Luleå University of Technology in Sweden to study clean energy transitions and their impacts on communities, workforce, and quality of life.

NSF EngEd • 2023–2026

Workshop: Building Research Capacity in Engineering Education Through a RIEF Virtual Community of Practice

NSF Award #2407082 (Engineering Education) based at the University of Georgia, a workshop initiative building connections among NSF RIEF awardees through virtual networking, mentoring, and open-access research guides for emerging engineering education researchers.

NSF IGE • 2024–2028

EMPOWERS: Elevating Mentoring Practices for Optimal Work-life Balance in STEM Graduate Studies

NSF Award #2429719 (IGE Track 2) based at Clemson University, a four-year initiative advancing comprehensive mentor training and systemic policy changes to support graduate student well-being, inclusion, and career development in STEM.

Internally-Funded • 2025

Penn State Graduate Program in Acoustics

Penn State's Graduate Program in Acoustics is the only program of its kind in the U.S., offering on-campus and distance learning degrees since the 1960s. An external evaluation was conducted to inform a department-wide curricular review and strategic planning process after more than 20 years without formal review.

NSF-Funded • 2022–2026

NSF Engineering Research Centers (ERC) & Engineering Education and Centers (EEC) Conferences

NSF-sponsored events managed by ASEE, bringing together Engineering Research Center and Engineering Education and Centers grantees for biennial networking, collaboration, and knowledge sharing conferences.

NSF-Funded • 2021–2024

CyBR-MSI: Capacity Building for Research at Minority Serving Institutions

An ASEE initiative to strengthen the capacity and confidence of MSI research faculty in designing competitive NSF CISE grant proposals, through team-based networking, mentorship, and a structured mini-grant submission process.

Let's Work Together

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