Rachel leads a team dedicated to maximising the impact of LSE research. This includes the provision of advice, guidance and support for partnerships and collaborations beyond academia; the provision of specialist support for research innovation (including, but not being limited to commercialisation); and help with monitoring, evaluating and collecting evidence of research impact. She is committed to championing and supporting best practice in engagement, innovation and impact across the full breadth of people, communities and organisations who might use and benefit from social science knowledge and insights. 

Rachel was Impact Manager at LSE between 2014 and 2020; she was previously Head of Impact at UCL. She (re-) joined LSE as Associate Director of Innovation and Impact in 2024, after several years as Head of Research & Development Partnerships at Zinc, which builds and invests in mission-driven start-ups. Her role at Zinc focused particularly on supporting and developing new ways to facilitate the movement of both research-based knowledge and research talent between academia and early-stage commercial ventures. She has a PhD in Medieval History.