Meet the Researchers

Aakash Thottam is researching donor behavior with an emphasis on understanding donors’ motivations. His research interests predominantly revolve around donors' motivation for charity selection and engagement with contemporary technologies for fundraising, including non-fungible tokens (NFTs) and cryptocurrency.

Sarah Rank is an experienced International Development practitioner, with a focus on gender, child protection and education within Africa. Through her research on charitable giving, she hopes to drive practical solutions that will foster a system that is both just and sustainable. 

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Rose Ahearn is an PhD Candidate and Associate Lecturer in the School of Social Sciences. Her research focuses on the role of measurement, research, and evaluation in the management and administration of social services.

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Claire van Teunenbroek is an Assistant Professor of Entrepreneurship and Marketing at the University of Twente. She researches online donor behaviour to understand how reliable crowdfunding is in supporting product development and services. 

Abigail Edwards is a PhD candidate whose research focuses on using psychological ownership to enhance retention in blood donors. Abigail’s research expertise broadly lies in implementing social psychology theory to enhance donor recruitment and retention.