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Our Story

Research Theory was founded in 2022 by Drs. Elaine and Stuart Sevier to address the crisis of declining innovation within the world of academic research. With backgrounds in academic basic science, they witnessed firsthand how research culture was stifling creativity and taking a toll on the well-being of their colleagues. Their first efforts to address this issue was helping establish the Center for STEMM Mentorship at Stanford University with Dr. Joseph M. DeSimone. Their success at Stanford inspired them to expand their scope in tackling this issue and start Research Theory in hopes of providing support to academic researchers across the globe.

Who we are

The Founders

Elaine Sevier, PhD | President

Elaine Sevier is the President and co-founder of Research Theory. Elaine has a PhD in neuroscience from Harvard University and is a member of the Shanahan Family Foundation Council.

Stuart Sevier, PhD | Director of Strategic Development

Stuart is the Director for Strategic Development and co-founder of Research Theory. Stuart has a master's in physics from UCLA and a PhD in physics from Rice University. Prior to founding Research Theory, Stuart was a research fellow at MIT and postdoctoral fellow at Harvard Medical School. Stuart is a member of the Shanahan Family Foundation Council.

The Team

Alex Kim | Program Manager

Alex Kim is the Program Manager for Research Theory. Alex is a veteran who served in the US Army as a paratrooper and recruiter for five years prior to joining Research Theory in 2023. Alex has a Masters in materials science and engineering from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

What drives us

Our strategic vision for Research Theory is guided by four principles:

Interventions, Data, Research, and Community.

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Interventions

We use our knowledge to design, test, and implement evidence-based resources for academic research environments. This includes training for faculty, workshops that strengthen scientific teams, and resources for graduate students and postdoctoral fellows as they navigate their scientific and professional development.

Interventions

Data

We actively work to collect data about scientists and the research ecosystem in order to understand how the creativity, mentorship, and well-being of a researcher impacts the research they do. This data in turn drives the development of our interventions as well as gives us insight into what projects to pursue next.

Data

Research

We build knowledge using the data we collect to help us develop a theoretical framework on how scientists do their best work. These insights inform which questions need to be asked as well as what new tools need to be created in order to explore those questions.

Research

Community

We know from experience that the pursuit of science can be a lonely endeavor, and we're actively working to build a community for scientists where information and resources can be shared so that graduate and postdoctoral fellows can better navigate their scientific and professional development.

Community

Our Story

Who we are

The Founders

The Team

What drives us

Interventions

Data

Research

Community

Our support