Mehul Kotecha is a Senior Researcher at the National Centre for Social Research (NatCen)

As a child what did you want to be when you grew up? I started life wanting to be an archaeologist but was told that perhaps that may not work as I was colour-blind. So, I delved into the world of words and ideas, which led me to my first love…sociology.

When did you first turn towards a social research career? Whilst doing my undergraduate dissertation on the sociology of science at London South Bank University. It was probably the first time I realised that theory can have practical significance (in this case, understanding how science does its everyday work), and that research is the key to the conversation between ideas and the ‘everyday world’.

What was your first professional job? And first project there? As I was doing my Masters in Research Methods (part-time), I worked as a research assistant on a survey with schools at London South Bank University. I remember pondering on the nitty gritty of real life research as I stuffed questionnaires into old school envelopes.

Where did your career go next? What motivated that/those moves? I completed my PhD on social identity and nurse learner attrition after my Masters and was lucky enough to work with Professor Ann Taket, Dr Bob Cant and others on primary care evaluations at London South Bank University. If my Masters taught me that ideas can be relevant to the real world, my post-doctoral work at the University and when I moved to NatCen showed me that research can help us act on these ideas by informing policy and practice.

What has been your best professional moment? I wouldn’t say there is one single moment that stands out, but rather a collection of them. Usually the ‘firsts’ – the excitement of going into the unknown when I delivered my first interview or seeing how switched on the new generation of researchers were in the first training session I delivered on Depth Interviews.

...and worst? I am not sure there has been any stand out worse moments. There have certainly been some interesting ones – as, for example, melting whilst participating in a panel discussion at the height of summer in a room without air conditioning, or those many times where I missed the last train whilst heading back from fieldwork!

Do you have a social research hero/heroine? I have a few, but Ann Taket, my PhD supervisor, stands out the most. I always admired her commitment to socially relevant research, how productive and organised she was and the way she nurtured the next generation of researchers. Still in awe!

Do you have a favourite quote?‘ As I sat and listened, I learned answers to questions that I would not even have the sense to ask if I had been getting my information solely on an interview basis’ (William Foote Whyte). Although comparing observations with interviews, William Whyte really captures the strength of qualitative research in understanding the world from the participant’s perspective and trusting the process to do this.

What would you say to encourage a young person today considering a social research career? There are very few professions which come with the privilege of being able to parachute yourself into someone’s life and hear their stories, as well as see the world in their colours (even if you are colour-blind!). Enjoy the journey of becoming better at listening to and (re)telling these stories.