In the document above, check out my research portfolio, which has a selection of user experience field research projects in contexts ranging from federal government and military to natural hazard resilience and community health. Some of the details of these projects are confidential, so this information is generalized as needed, but I'm happy to chat more if you're curious!

Below, I've shared some more broad descriptions of my work along with some examples of published research.

Mixed Methods Interdisciplinary Social Science
My research centers on a core insight: the people closest to a problem often hold expertise that formal systems overlook. By engaging diverse communities as active participants—not just subjects—and honoring their lived experience and local knowledge, we can produce richer, more complete understandings of complex systems. This approach yields research that is both more rigorous and more actionable: insights grounded in real-world contexts that translate into more effective, equitable, and locally relevant solutions.
​
I apply mixed-methods approaches—qualitative fieldwork, surveys, behavioral observation, and participatory design—to understand how people interact with complex systems and how those systems can better serve diverse user needs. My work bridges research and practice, ensuring that insights don't just sit in reports but inform real decisions and drive meaningful outcomes.


Selected work includes:

O’Connor, R., Spalding, A.K., Bowers, A.W., & Ardoin, N.M. (2024). Power and participation: A systematic review of marine protected area engagement through participatory science methods. Marine Policy, 163(2024), https://doi.org/10.1016/j.marpol.2024.106133

O’Connor, R., et al. (2025). Effects of anthropogenic noise on marine mammal abundances informed by mixed methods. Npj Ocean Sustainability, 4(1), 11. https://doi.org/10.1038/s44183-025-00113-w 

O’Connor, R.J., et al. (2025) Community scientists provide knowledge and public education and help enforce environmental regulations in social-ecological systems. Commun Earth Environ 6, 91 (2025). https://doi.org/10.1038/s43247-025-02066-x

Ardoin, N., O’Connor, R., & Bowers, A. (2025). 9. Exploring how place connections support sustainability solutions in marine socio-ecological systems. In L. B. Crowder (Ed.), Navigating Our Way to Solutions in Marine Conservation (1st ed., pp. 143–154). Open Book Publishers. https://doi.org/10.11647/obp.0395.09

Satterthwaite, E...O’Connor, R....ET AL. (2024). Centering Knowledge Co-Production in Sustainability Science: Why, How, and When. Oceanography, 37(1), 26–37. https://doi.org/10.5670/oceanog.2024.217
​
O’Connor, R. (In prep, 2025). A Theory of Place-Connections, Participation in Scientific Learning, and Remade Places. In prep for Nature Sustainability.

Systems, Processes, and Governance Research
My research investigates how people interact with complex systems—and how those systems can be designed, governed, and improved to better serve both human and societal needs. I focus on the interfaces where policy, technology, and human behavior intersect: understanding how governance structures shape user experiences, how processes create friction or enable action, and how institutional systems can evolve to meet changing demands.
​
This work requires moving beyond siloed disciplinary thinking. I bring social science methods into technical and policy conversations, using mixed-methods approaches—qualitative fieldwork, behavioral analysis, stakeholder mapping, and survey research—to develop holistic understandings of complex, dynamic challenges. The goal is not just to describe how systems work, but to identify leverage points where thoughtful intervention can improve outcomes for the people those systems are meant to serve.


Selected work includes:

O’Connor, R., Spalding, A.K., Bowers, A.W., & Ardoin, N.M. 2024. Power and participation: A systematic review of marine protected area engagement through participatory science methods. Marine Policy, 163(2024), https://doi.org/10.1016/j.marpol.2024.106133

​O’Connor, R.J., et al. (2025) Community scientists provide knowledge and public education and help enforce environmental regulations in social-ecological systems. Commun Earth Environ 6, 91 (2025). https://doi.org/10.1038/s43247-025-02066-x
​
O’Connor, R., et al. (2025). Effects of anthropogenic noise on marine mammal abundances informed by mixed methods. Npj Ocean Sustainability, 4(1), 11. https://doi.org/10.1038/s44183-025-00113-w 

Goodman, M... O’Connor, R....et al. (2024). Reef shark population declines on remote Pacific reefs: Inferences from multiple methods in a data-limited fishery. Marine Ecology Progress Series, 751, 97–114. https://doi.org/10.3354/meps14746
​
Villaseñor-Derbez, J.... O’Connor, R… et al. (Accepted). Transferability of Adaptive Capacity to Diverse Market and Environmental Shocks in Small-Scale Fisheries: COVID-19 as a case study. Accepted at NPJ Ocean Sustainability.

Villaseñor-Derbez, J.... O’Connor, R… ET AL. (In Review, 2024). Transferability of Adaptive Capacity to Diverse Market and Environmental Shocks in Small-Scale Fisheries: COVID-19 as a case study. In Review at Fish and Fisheries. ​
​

Social Networks and Human Institutions
Understanding how people connect, communicate, and make decisions within organizations and communities is foundational to designing systems that work. My research applies social network analysis and institutional analysis to map the relationships, information flows, and power dynamics that shape how groups function—and how interventions can be designed to improve outcomes.

I study how knowledge moves through networks: who holds influence, where information gets stuck, and how trust is built or eroded across stakeholder groups. This work reveals the informal structures that formal org charts miss—the actual pathways through which decisions get made, buy-in is built, and change happens (or doesn't).
​
By combining network methods with qualitative research—interviews, observation, and participatory approaches—I develop actionable insights into how institutions can better engage diverse stakeholders, distribute power more equitably, and design processes that reflect how people actually work together. Whether the context is a government agency, a cross-functional product team, or a distributed community of practice, the underlying questions are the same: How do people collaborate? Where are the friction points? And how can we design for more effective, inclusive coordination?


​
Selected work includes:

O’Connor, R., Spalding, A.K., Bowers, A.W., & Ardoin, N.M. 2024. Power and participation: A systematic review of marine protected area engagement through participatory science methods. Marine Policy, 163(2024), https://doi.org/10.1016/j.marpol.2024.106133

​O’Connor, R.J., et al. (2025) Community scientists provide knowledge and public education and help enforce environmental regulations in social-ecological systems. Commun Earth Environ 6, 91 (2025). https://doi.org/10.1038/s43247-025-02066-x
​
O’Connor, R., et al. (2025). Effects of anthropogenic noise on marine mammal abundances informed by mixed methods. Npj Ocean Sustainability, 4(1), 11. https://doi.org/10.1038/s44183-025-00113-w 

​Satterthwaite, E...O’Connor, R....et al. (2024). Centering Knowledge Co-Production in Sustainability Science: Why, How, and When. Oceanography, 37(1), 26–37. https://doi.org/10.5670/oceanog.2024.217

Garibay-Toussaint, I ...O’Connor, R.....et al. (2024) Combining the uncombinable: corporate memories, ethnobiological observations, oceanographic and ecological data to enhance climatic resilience in small-scale fisheries. Front. Mar. Sci. 11:1458059. https://doi.org/10.3389/fmars.2024.1458059

Ardoin, N., O’Connor, R., & Bowers, A. (2025). 9. Exploring how place connections support sustainability solutions in marine socio-ecological systems. In L. B. Crowder (Ed.), Navigating Our Way to Solutions in Marine Conservation (1st ed., pp. 143–154). Open Book Publishers. https://doi.org/10.11647/obp.0395.09
​