About
I’m Maria Fermin, a published qualitative social researcher and External PhD Researcher at Leiden University. My work explores how culture, institutions and social environments shape identity, behaviour and belonging.
Maria Fermin | Research Studio is an independent qualitative research and cultural analysis platform for my research, policy-relevant work, public-facing research communication and collaborations.
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It began as a portfolio for my research and has developed into a space for bringing social research beyond academic papers and into conversation with the people, organisations and questions it can speak to.
Here, I share sociological perspectives, translate qualitative evidence into accessible and policy-relevant insight, and bring qualitative inquiry into research, collaboration and public-facing work.
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I have always been interested in the space between how we understand ourselves and how the world understands us.
My curiosity begins where identity meets social expectation, where belonging becomes conditional, and where people learn to navigate different cultural and social worlds.
Through qualitative interviews, ethnographic methods and sociological analysis, I explore the experiences that are often difficult to reduce to simple categories.
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I approach research with curiosity, reflexivity and care. I try to look beyond assumptions by asking better questions, listening closely and understanding experiences within the social worlds that give them meaning.
My aim is to connect those lived experiences to wider social, institutional and policy questions without losing the complexity of the people behind the evidence.
Questions about working together?
Continue to FAQs ↓
Frequently Asked Questions
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Maria Fermin | Research Studio is open to selected enquiries involving Qualitative Research & Cultural Analysis, Research Development Support, Researching Sensitive Social Topics, and other relevant project-based collaboration. Each enquiry is considered according to fit, scope and availability.
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I work with researchers, students, research teams, organisations and independent projects whose questions involve qualitative research, culture, identity, belonging, social behaviour or socially complex topics.
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Yes. Research Development Support may include research direction, proposal structure, research questions, qualitative methodology, interview design, project framing and interpretation.
I do not complete assessed work, ghostwrite academic submissions, fabricate data or guarantee academic outcomes.
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Yes. I may support qualitative research involving identity, stigma, vulnerability, belonging, culture and other sensitive or socially complex topics. Support is methodological and research-informed and does not replace institutional ethics review, safeguarding procedures, legal advice or clinical expertise where these are required.
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There is no fee to submit an enquiry. If we decide to work together, the scope, timeframe, fee and any relevant conditions will be agreed separately before work begins.
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Send a research or collaboration request and briefly tell me what you are working on, what kind of support you are looking for and any relevant deadline or context. I will reply by email to discuss fit, availability and possible next steps.
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Yes. I welcome international enquiries. Meetings, where relevant, can be arranged online across locations and time zones.
You do not need to know exactly what kind of support you need. Tell me briefly what you are working on, and I can let you know whether the project fits my areas of work.