College to Career Spotlight: A research manager’s path from academia to industry
Bridging anthropology and business
Anthropology isn’t just for fieldwork in remote locations—it’s shaping business strategies and consumer insights worldwide. At Human8, Research & Implementation Manager Elizabeth Watson applies an anthropological lens to global consulting, translating qualitative research into actionable business strategies. From a background in customer discovery at TechTown Detroit to leading mixed-methods research projects, Watson leverages ethnographic expertise to uncover meaningful patterns in data.
In this Q&A, Elizabeth shares her journey through Wayne State University’s anthropology program that laid the groundwork for a career connecting human behavior with business innovation.
How long have you been in your position and what other anthropology-related positions have you had in the past?
I am a Research & Implementation Manager at Human8, a human-driven consultancy working to uncover insights for clients across the globe.
Before this role, I was a customer discovery specialist at TechTown Detroit, helping early-stage start-up entrepreneurs create non-leading interview questions to understand customers’ deeper pain points and better align their solutions and business pitch to those real problems.
How did your training in anthropology help to shape your career?
My training in anthropology helps me every day, in both tangible and "soft skill" ways. Tangibly, it provided a strong grasp of qualitative research methodologies that I apply and execute every day. But on a deeper level, I learned how to apply the crucial lens of observation and reflexivity that distinguish my critical thinking skills as an anthropologist. These softer skills come into play in meetings with clients as well as fieldwork with participants. I’m listening for what is said and what isn’t, and traversing in between all our perspectives.
With a strong theoretical background in a discipline like anthropology, I have become known as a "dot connector" who "asks the right questions," thinks holistically and "reads between the lines." These qualities are important because my whole job is about finding a meaningful, contextualized "story" in data.
Even as AI tools have started to help us all analyze qualitative data faster, anthropology fostered an innate curiosity and critical thinking in me that helps me go beyond summarizing data and towards more strategic insights.
What is a typical day at work like for you?
Each day is different, but my main responsibilities include managing online research community activities for quick-turn qualitative and quantitative findings, curating and synthesizing existing data or trends to design presentations or workshops that help activate insights, as well as leading in-depth, mixed methods research projects that inform strategic next steps such as brand positioning or next-gen product innovation. I even moderate for these projects across the globe!
How have your experiences in WSU’s anthropology program affected your career choices and preparation for the job you have now?
The practicum experiences offered through WSU’s program affected my career choice and probably won me the job I have right now! Being able to apply that training to a business challenge while I was still a student, and collaborating with a team of researchers, was crucial.
Experiences writing essays and debating ideas from our readings in class totally proved valuable! Even though the kind of writing I do now is different (including new challenges of visualization, executive summaries), grad school courses kickstarted my ability to deal with sophisticated ideas. Being in the insights industry, you have to sort through a lot of nuanced data and the different positions of your stakeholders. Being able to converse and raise new questions in class discussions has strengthened my confidence to show up this way in the business world. I have actually even referenced textbooks from classes in "storytelling" meetings to help contextualize findings and inform methodology – including "Golden Arches East, Practical Ethnography, and Outline of a Theory of Practice" by Bordieu.
Why would you recommend WSU and our anthropology program to prospective students? What makes the program or university distinct from other options they might be considering?
I would recommend the WSU anthropology program to prospective students who want to get practical training. The professors, especially Dr. Jung who was my advisor, are committed to making sure anthropology doesn’t stay in our heads and in the clouds but is evolved to impact real-world problems and needs. Offering opportunities like the practicum, as well as business anthropology-focused syllabi, makes the program distinct.