Strategic Insights Delivered
Strategic intelligence for higher education research leadership
Horizon Scanning
I gather and deliver insights on your interests so that you can take immediate action. Using a proprietary approach, I examine regional developments, competitor activity, and recent economic activity. This information is contextualized to your needs to make decisions for tomorrow, today.
Capacity Building
I have a deep passion for developing individuals in the field. Through one-on-one sessions, you walk through your aspirations and we work together to achieve them. I am particularly interested in supporting early career professionals and those in new management roles.
Coaching
I help you define positions, develop the people and systems, to deliver high-impact intelligence at your institution. I leverage my experience founding and leading one of the first dedicated competitive and strategic intelligence capabilities within a central office. Accelerate your design and operation of an intelligence operation.
About me - Karen Walker
For over 12 years, I've worked inside university research offices, helping staff and faculty turn scattered signals — funding trends, competitor activity, sponsor priorities — into a clear strategic edge. I know firsthand how hard it is to keep pace with a shifting research landscape while also supporting faculty who are stretched thin. That's the problem I solve.
I founded a nationwide competitive intelligence (CI) working group where research administrators from institutions across the country come together to share best practices — giving them practical tools to help faculty sharpen their research trajectories and submit more competitive proposals. In 2022, that work was recognized with the Innovation Award from the National Organization of Research Development Professionals.
I've never stood still in this field, and I don't expect the field to either. That's why I've built AI directly into my practice — not to replace careful analysis, but to make it faster, so your team gets sharper insights when decisions actually need to be made.
Here's what that means for you: whether you're trying to identify emerging funding opportunities, understand how peer institutions are positioning themselves, or help a faculty member see the gaps in their research niche, I bring the frameworks, the network, and the speed to get you there.
Let's figure out together what it will take for your organization to reach its next level of research success.
Contact me
Let’s talk about your intelligence needs.