Dr Ciara Keenan

Evidence Synthesis Specialist

About me

I am an evidence synthesis specialist with 13 years’ experience designing and leading policy-facing systematic reviews, Evidence and Gap Maps, meta-analyses and evidence toolkits across social policy, public health, education, youth justice and children’s services.My work combines methodological rigour with practical decision-making for funders, policymakers and delivery organisations. I specialise in information retrieval, review automation, evidence mapping, advanced synthesis methods and translating complex bodies of evidence into usable products for policy and practice.I have led and contributed to funded evidence synthesis programmes totalling over £3.06 million, including major programmes for the Youth Endowment Fund, Foundations, UKRI, Crisis and the Department of Education Northern Ireland.

Featured work - Evidence synthesis for policy and practice

I lead and contribute to evidence synthesis projects that help governments make better decisions from complex research. My work includes systematic reviews, Evidence and Gap Maps, meta-analysis, evidence toolkits and policy-ready synthesis across children’s services, youth justice, public health, education, disability and homelessness.

Expertise

  • Systematic reviews, rapid reviews and living reviews

  • Evidence and Gap Maps

  • Meta-analysis and network meta-analysis

  • Information retrieval and advanced search methods

  • Evidence toolkits and policy-ready synthesis

  • Review automation, AI-assisted workflows and reproducible methods

  • Training, mentoring and capacity building

Qualifications

  • PhD in Education / Psychology – Queen's University Belfast (Awarded 2018)

  • MSc in Autism Spectrum Disorders – Queen's University Belfast (Awarded 2014)

  • MSc in Biostatistics (deferred end date) – University of Galway

  • BSc (Hons) in Social Psychology / Psychology – University of Ulster (Awarded 2009)

  • Meta-analysis & Quantitative Methods internship – Peabody Research Institute, Vanderbilt University (2015)

  • Advanced Information Retrieval Training – Western University, Ontario (2014)

Let’s connect

I’m always happy to discuss evidence synthesis, Evidence and Gap Maps, systematic review methods, training, commissioned research or potential collaborations.

© Dr Ciara Keenan 2026