Eli Lieber, Ph.D.

Co-Founder, CEO

Eli’s journey with Dedoose began and evolved during the later years of his decades of work at UCLA as Co-Director of a social science research lab. The lab was born to provide research methods expertise to social scientists looking to deploy qualitative or mixed methods approaches where many had limited cross-discipline experience. The ongoing mission to provide maximally practical, efficient, productive, and complete support to a project based on its goals, strengths, and limitations. Initially trained as a quantitative psychologist interested in early childhood, socio-ecological, cultural, and cognitive development, motivation and achievement, cross-cultural parenting practice, measurement, and the general adaptation of families to the challenges of immigration and a modernizing world. He received his B.A. in Psychology from California State University, Northridge, and his M.A. and Ph.D. from the University of Illinois, Champaign-Urbana. He currently holds the position of Associate Research Psychologist, Semel Institute, UCLA and serves as vice-president of the Institute for Mixed Methods Research (IMMR).

His UCLA research experiences, growing expertise in qualitative and quantitative methods, passion for technology, curiosity in how best to manage and analyze and integrate qual and quant methods/data and do it all with scientific rigor and maximal efficiency was all ideal background for his later contributions. Eli has earned a sterling reputation for developing creative strategies to maximize the value of technology in social science research—his role in the development of Dedoose being one primary accomplishment.

Not a lazy sort, away from Dedoose you’ll find Eli loves spending time with youth, sport, family, and food. He may be playing, coaching, or refereeing soccer, on his bike, on the slopes, dancing, cooking, or eating with his gem of a partner, Teresa, his children, grandchildren, students, friends, and players, eaters, and smilers of all ages.

Thomas S. Weisner, Ph.D.

Co-Founder of Dedoose

Dr. Weisner is an Anthropologist and internationally recognized leader in the systematic application of mixed methods in the social sciences. His research interests focus on culture and human development, medical, psychological, and cultural studies of families and children at risk, mixed methods research, and evidence-based policy studies.

Working for decades with multi-disciplinary groups, Dr. Weisner has made major contributions to the development of methods for the study of families and children in context. Key to this work was his contribution to the development of the Ecocultural Family Interview for understanding the everyday routine of family life – a mixed methods approach.

Dr. Weisner’s research includes studies conducted in Kenya, India, and the U.S. He has studied sibling caregiving of children, families with children with disabilities, countercultural families, and children, working poor families and children, early literacy in Head Start programs, and support for families with children with autism in India, among his key areas of interest.

He is co-author of Higher Ground: New Hope for the Working Poor and Their Children (2007), with Greg Duncan and Aletha Huston; co-editor of Making it work: Low-wage employment, family life and child development (2006), with Hiro Yoshikawa & Edward Lowe; editor of Discovering successful pathways in children's development: New methods in the study of childhood and family life (2005); and co-editor of African families and the crisis of social change (1997), with Candice Bradley and Phil Kilbride.

In addition, Dr. Weisner has published some 150 research papers, chapters, and reviews during his academic career. He received his B.A. in Anthropology from Reed College (1965) and Ph.D. from Harvard University (1973).

He is currently Professor Emeritus, Departments of Anthropology and Psychiatry at UCLA. While none of us expect he will fully ‘retire’ anytime soon, Tom is finding immense joy away from work with his wife Susan, traveling and spending time with their four grandchildren.

Jason Taylor

Chief Technology Wizard, Co-Founder

Jason has been with Dedoose since before its inception as the developer of the first web application release of Dedoose’s predecessor, EthnoNotes. In the past, Jason has worked on a wide variety of technical projects including software applications, web applications, robotics and automation, … Basically, if it can run code, he has coded it. He often says 'Nothing is impossible, it's just a matter of time', and, so far, he’s been good to his word through his regular demonstration of fantastic ‘agile’ development. A brilliant problem solver, Jason’s creativity, consumer of all technology development trends, and tremendous skill-set is fundamental to Dedoose being so very awesome now and in how it will continue to evolve.

Away from work Jason likes to ride his dirt bike, take his 4Runner WAY off-road, or just hang out with his dogs while fishing at a scenic and peaceful lake. With his always curious mind and, ‘I can do whatever I put my mind to’ attitude, it’s never a surprise to hear how he’d spent the weekend remodeling his kitchen, re-building his boat’s engine, or camping in the remote wilderness. Long ago, the ‘Hey Jason, can we do this with Dedoose?’ question, turned into the ‘I know nobody has ever done this, but how long before we can do this with Dedoose?’ question. The Dedoose user community will never fully appreciate how well they are taken care of with Jason at the technology helm.

Jose Gamez

Chief Operating Officer

If Jose has ever had difficulty in life or work, none of us on the team would ever know it. Seriously this guy is a rock that looks like a joyful emoji, always smiling, laughing, and having a great time. His gentle personality, patience, and extremely pleasant manner made him ideal for his role on our customer support team and now leading our Operational efforts.

He may not be a chatter bug, but his propensity for helping people and his intense focus on the acquisition of knowledge made him a natural fit for Team Dedoose. Whether working with users directly or drafting many of our support guides and other resources, Jose is constantly trying to place himself in our users’ shoes to assure his work will be of real value to the broader user and research community.

Jose is a Los Angeles native who graduated from Occidental College with a major in Mathematics and a minor in Russian. When not working on one of the many projects to ensure the smooth operation of Team Dedoose or helping users, Jose enjoys video games (there are fierce battles off-hours among many of the technical team), hanging out with the neighborhood cat, and exploring the history of Rome.

If you have a question about Dedoose, or need something done, Jose is your man!

Sara E. Grummert, Ph.D.

Director of Business Development

Dr. Sara E. Grummert holds a dual appointment with Dedoose and the Institute for Mixed Methods Research. In her role with Dedoose, she leads strategy around how Dedoose engages and supports the larger academic and research community, with a focus on curating learning resources, conducting methods consultations, and training social scientists in how Dedoose can support more nuanced analyses.

Dr. Grummert earned her doctorate at the University of California Riverside in the field of higher education administration and policy. Her areas of expertise include qualitative research design, qualitative data analysis, and advancing the use of visual methods.

Kurt Lautenbach

Support Team Leader

Kurt often describes himself as ‘the man of many hats’, which is only slightly ironic since he despises actually wearing hats. With 18 years of customer service in a myriad of fields, Kurt is at his very best when helping people. Joining the Dedoose team in late 2017, his education in literature might seem out of place, but his desire to learn is nearly insatiable. What he lacks in technical experience he more than makes up for with passion, focus and careful consideration. With his engaging demeanor and incredibly loud laugh, Kurt brings a unique and welcome levity to every situation.

Being the son of an Air Force officer, he’s often heard joking, “I don’t have a ‘from’”, although for over 15 years has lived in Los Angeles. Outside of the office, Kurt is an avid reader of science fiction, old and new, and like most the rest of the staff, a consummate video gamer. When not plugged into a book or a screen, you can often find him tearing up pool tables and enjoying local craft beers.

Kris Castner, M.A., M.A., A.B.D.

Digital Communications Director

Hello I’m Kris, the Digital Communications Director at Dedoose. I manage all threads related to digital strategy, analytics, digital business development, content planning, campaign reporting, and social media.

I hold two master’s degrees and an A.B.D., leading undergraduate coursework across three disciplines at as many Universities prior to coming to Dedoose. I have worked on several local and national research projects, with the most recent being those lead by a blended Faculty-Student Research Center.

My background in digital marketing, analysis, and strategy includes work experience with agencies, as a freelancer, and owner of a small marketing business.

Omar Mejia

Support Specialist

I am currently attending school at California Poly Pomona studying Computer Information Systems. Expected to graduate in Spring of 2023, I enjoy learning about software and business infrastructure. When I am not learning or working, I enjoy watching movies, talking to family or friends, and playing with the family dog, or any dog for that matter!

Revati Pasala

Head of Quality Assurance

My name is Revati Pasala and I'm a Development Team Member with six years of work experience. I enjoy contributing to the team by delivering quality products to Dedoose customers.

I have completed my master's degree in VLSI and Embedded Systems from JNTU in India.

Outside of work, I enjoy listening to music, travelling, and reading.

Bobby Montalvo

Engineer

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Dominic Perren

Engineer

Dominic has been a part of Dedoose since before Dedoose was known as Dedoose. Most of his work on our team has been related to his tremendous contributions to our web development, but he is also key in making sure the team stays in good spirits with his happy attitude and sense of humor.

Known among his friends as the ‘Filibuster,’ Dominic has a ‘special’ penchant for side-tracking conversations that start about a single pixel difference on a web page and then, just five minutes later, debating the virtues of a Socialist Roman republic. When not coding, Dominic can be found out the desert dirt biking, off-roading, or dancing with ferocious and unabashed spirit while howling at the moon in Jawbone Canyon.

Joelle Vandermensbrugghe

Support Specialist

Joelle Vandermensbrugghe is a member of the Dedoose support team and is based in Australia.

Joelle started a career in communication in Belgium before migrating to Australia where she started an academic career and completed her PhD in communication. Over the years, she developed an interest in research practice and communication. She set up the postgraduate support program and continues to contribute to various research capacity building programs.

Michelle Salmona

President & Co-Founder, Institute for Mixed Methods Research (IMMR)

Dr. Michelle Salmona and IMMR work in partnership with Dedoose developing customized training and consulting services. Michelle is an Adjunct Professor at the University of Canberra, Australia and the author of multiple books and academic papers. With her background as a Project Management Professional and Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy, United Kingdom, Michelle’s areas of expertise include: qualitative and mixed methods research design and analysis, training in the use of digital tools in research and evaluation, and program evaluation. Her research focus is to better understand how to support doctoral student success and strengthen the research process through the successful use of technology; and build data-driven decision-making capacity in the corporate world. Michelle and her husband work internationally and split their time between the USA and Australia.

Mariama Kollie

Support Specialist

Hello, my name is Mariama and I work in Customer Support! I love my position as I can correspond with Dedoose users from all over while also learning about the software.

Outside of Dedoose, I am extremely passionate about music and enjoy discovering new music and curating playlists for myself / my family, and my friends. I love traveling and I also have an unhealthy obsession with vintage shopping and ordering takeout.

Samuel Lieber

Digital Strategist

As a part of the Dedoose Digital Communications team, I work to ensure our outgoing messaging is top notch. I enjoy graphical, video, and audio editing, and am happy to be able to bring such skills to the team. Within the company, I assist in managing various tasks, including website content and physical assets for events throughout the year, including conferences.

As a student, I studied psychology and sociology, and am proud to use a variety of my self-taught skills in my day-to-day tasks. I adhere to the Dedoose-ian notion of pursuing lifelong-learning by embracing new channels, tools, apps, and developments within my industry.