About

I study people and phenomena.
In context.

I'm Lara, a PhD-trained anthropologist and research strategist working across digital health, emerging technology, and social impact.

For more than a decade, I've combined ethnographic research, fieldwork, and product thinking to help teams make sense of complex human realities and act on them. My work has taken me from remote care platforms and AI-enabled health tools to global health systems and digital experiences across four continents.

I've worked with founders, product teams, nonprofits, and international organizations, including leading $1.5M+ technology programs for WHO and the Gates Foundation across West and Central Africa. I work best where research is meant to shape the roadmap, not simply validate it.

See my approach

Selected organizations and teams I've contributed to

How I can help

Complex, consequential problems are hard to see clearly from inside an organization alone. That's where I come in.

My work combines research, fieldwork, synthesis, and strategic guidance, from scoping the right question through to making findings useful in product, care, program, and organizational decisions. I can join for a focused project, strengthen an existing research effort, or work as an embedded partner when the work needs to go deeper.

Complex, consequential problems are hard to see clearly from inside an organization alone. That's where I come in.

Need something adjacent?

Start a conversation

What I offer

Engagements are designed around your actual problem, not a service menu. These categories describe where I most often work.

01

Research & Insight

Understand what is happening and why it matters.

Ethnographic & Contextual Inquiry

Fieldwork-based research that reveals the cultural, systemic, and everyday forces shaping behavior and decision-making.
Stakeholder Interviews & Fieldwork

In-depth conversations and observation that surface the reasoning, tensions, and practical realities behind what people say and do.
User Testing & Journey Mapping

Observing real experiences to identify where usability, trust, and adoption break down, and where they can be strengthened.

02

Strategy & Growth

Turn grounded insight into a clearer way forward.

Research & Project Design

Defining the right questions, methods, participants, and timeline before the work begins.
Product & Positioning Strategy

Turning grounded insight into a clear point of view on what to build, how to communicate it, and who it needs to serve.
Roadmap & Prioritization

Helping teams decide what to tackle first, what to test next, and where research can create the most value.

03

Ethics & Facilitation

Build trust, align teams, and navigate high-stakes decisions.

AI & Ethical Risk Advisory

Identifying where an AI or digital product could erode trust, and building safeguards before scale.
Workshop Facilitation & Alignment

Structured sessions that help cross-functional teams reach a shared, actionable direction.
Trust & Safety Frameworks

Practical guidance for handling sensitive data, vulnerable users, and high-stakes decisions responsibly.

Need something adjacent?

Start a conversation

Some questions I've helped teams answer

Global Health · Field Research

Lake Chad Mapping

What does it take to deliver health programs across complex, cross-border systems?

View case study ↗

Longitudinal Research

Airbnb & Zoom Digital Connection Research

What makes people trust, stay with, or leave digital platforms?

View case study ↗

Digital Health · Accessibility

WellOff Data Visualization

How can sensitive health data feel clearer and more useful to the people tracking it?

View case study ↗

AI Governance

AI Readiness Diagnostic

When does healthcare AI help, and when does it create friction or distrust?

View case study ↗

Provider Ethnography

Provider-Centered Research

How can a remote wellness platform earn providers' trust?

View case study ↗

Behavioral Research

SIFT UX Research

How do people make sense of algorithmic systems when digital life feels overwhelming?

View case study ↗

How I work

01

Relational Insight

Understand the relationships that shape trust, adoption, and care.

I care about how people relate to systems, technology, and one another, because that is where the fuller story lives. I pay attention to what people do not say out loud.

Ethnographic FieldworkIn-Depth InterviewsParticipant ObservationDiary StudiesEmpathy MappingFocus GroupsJourney Mapping

02

Contextual Thinking

See the cultural, technical, and personal context around a decision.

No question makes sense without its cultural, technical, and personal context. Having lived in seven countries, I know the same problem rarely has the same answer twice.

Context MappingSystems & Ecosystem MappingContextual InquiryComparative Case StudiesDigital EthnographyTrend & Horizon ScanningStakeholder MappingJourney Mapping

03

Ethical Foresight

Consider trust, dignity, and risk before a decision scales.

I think about the people affected by a decision long before it is made, not as a box to check, but because it is the question I cannot help asking. Trust and dignity are not features to bolt on later.

Risk & Ethics AssessmentStakeholder MappingLongitudinal StudiesCo-Design WorkshopsCultural ProbesDiscourse Analysis

04

Strategic Framing

Turn insight into a clear direction a team can act on.

Research means little if it stays in a report. I turn what I learn into something a team can actually act on: clear, direct, and grounded in the real world.

Insight SynthesisThematic AnalysisConcept & Message TestingPersona DevelopmentAffinity MappingSurvey Design & AnalysisMixed-Methods ResearchUsability Testing

Say hello

Working on a question that needs closer attention? I'd be glad to hear what you're building, navigating, or trying to understand, and explore whether I can help.

Email

mertenslaraj@gmail.com

Location

Freelance clients worldwide · US work authorized · Time zone: UTC+0 / UTC+1

linkedin.com/in/laramertens

Availability

Currently open to new work