Jennifer Karsh founded Axen with the goal of infusing more creativity into qualitative research. Her comprehensive understanding of the field comes from more than 10 years’ experience working on both the client side and the supplier side.

As the Senior Research Manager for Wild Planet Toys, Jennifer directed all consumer and product research – including exploratory research, concept evaluation, design tests, advertising evaluations and packaging validations.

Later, as an independent consultant, Jennifer led research initiatives for companies such as Disney, McDonald’s, Nestle, Scholastic, Hasbro and Procter & Gamble.

For these prestigious clients, Jen carried out both general market research and research focused on kids.

Jennifer has written and spoken widely on the subject of ethnographic research. Her innovative research methodologies have been profiled in several publications including The Wall Street Journal and The Washington Post.

Rob Volpe is a recognized leader in the research field, yet sometimes refers to himself simply as a storyteller. His background in journalism, combined with years of experience in marketing, PR and promotions, has led to his singular ability to connect with consumers and draw meaningful analyses from those interviews.

His credentials include time at Kraft Foods, where he leveraged consumer insights for Maxwell House Coffee and Kool-Aid. Other clients have included Starbucks Coffee Company, Sprint PCS, Pepsi, Dreyer’s Ice Cream and various retail and hospitality clients. Rob has led dozens of research and marketing initiatives, helping his clients achieve business epiphanies that change the way they view their consumers and their own products.

Rob’s smart and witty persona has made him a popular speaker at industry conferences on the value of in-context research in product development.

Lindsey Walker is a pro at wearing many hats. She’s been nurturing both the left and right sides of her brain since she was a student at Boston University, where she studied Journalism by day and photography by night. Lindsey is currently studying to receive her Masters Degree in Clinical Psychology at Antioch University.

We love her aesthetic eye, journalistic pursuit of fact, and observant mastery of details. She’s the perfect team member to manage preparations before each research project. She can create a schedule and make it beautiful.

Lindsey is also invaluable in fine-tuning the presentation materials we produce after the fieldwork is done. Her documentary photos have enhanced our reports, and we count on her to edit videos, design labels, etc. — all while managing two or three dozen things around the office!

Throughout her career, Kate Scott has made it her mission to be a consumer trend and pop-culture guru. When she’s not in the field conducting Shop-Alongs or observing consumer behavior, you can find her devouring newspapers, magazines, websites and blogs – so she always knows her subjects’ cultural contexts.

Kate began her career in research working for Turner Broadcast Systems. Later, as a Research Manager for Wild Planet Toys, she was responsible for designing and leading consumer and product research across all brands. In this role, Kate also found the time to manage a consumer panel of more than 10,000 members.

In the last 5 years, Kate has conducted hundreds of focus groups and in-home ethnographies and is a true specialist in her field. We value her wealth of qualitative research experience.

Amber Nelson knows what makes a good story. Growing up, Amber always had her nose in a book or newspaper. Her insatiable quest for knowledge and understanding of people guided her to study journalism at Boston University.

After graduating from BU, Amber decided to put her journalism degree to work doing public relations and cause-related marketing. She was a key member of the team at Cone Coughlin Communications, a Boston-based firm responsible for implementing a Massachusetts, state-wide, anti-smoking campaign — the first in the nation. Later, as a director at Planned Parenthood of Orange and San Bernardino Counties, Amber helped lead several key marketing and communications initiatives.

Amber’s finely tuned empathy and quest to understand what motivates behavior eventually drew her to the field of qualitative research.

Here at Axen, we’re glad we can put Amber’s talents to use in ethnographies, focus groups, and in-store research. Her special ability to create a comfortable environment where respondents feel relaxed has yielded powerful results.

After completing a Master's degree from UT Austin in 1994, David was recruited to be a design researcher at Paul Allen's Interval Research think tank, looking for insights into everything from children's games to technology-assisted spirituality, to broadband technologies — laying groundwork for numerous patents.

In 1999, he left to co-found Vulcan-funded Kundi Inc., a community-focused search engine that alerts subscribers to changes of live media over the Internet. As Director of Content, he oversaw user-interface, usability, and content management.

David has led thousands of observation teams in homes, bathrooms, operating rooms and focus group facilities across the world. He stays fresh by working with clients in Fortune 500 companies, startups, community efforts, and academic research. His research has led to publications on the behaviors and values of conscious consumers, lectures on research methods and green consumerism, and co-authorship of the executive learning book, Inside the Minds: Greening Your Company.