MHC Services
Discover how Meghan Holst Consulting can expand your organization's research capacity without overloading your teams.
Research Design & Methodology
Scientific consultation on study design, experimental protocols, and methodology development for your ongoing research initiatives
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Strong research starts with strong design. Whether you're launching a new study, developing field sampling protocols, or establishing baseline monitoring programs, we provide consultation to ensure your methods are scientifically rigorous, ethically sound, and practical for your operational constraints.
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This service is particularly valuable when you're moving into unfamiliar territory, working with a new species, adopting a novel technique, or addressing a research question that requires careful experimental design. We work with your team to develop protocols that balance scientific rigor with staff safety and animal welfare, ensuring your methods will withstand peer review while remaining feasible for your facility.
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Example applications:
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Developing safe and effective animal handling protocols (such as training staff in shark restraint and blood sampling techniques)
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Creating standardized data collection protocols across multiple sites or institutions
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Establishing quality control procedures for long-term monitoring programs
We also provide hands-on training in research methodology, helping your staff understand not just what to do, but why—building institutional knowledge that persists beyond any single project. This service supports aquariums, zoos, field stations, and academic labs working across all taxa and research contexts.
Research Maximization
Data analysis support and sample processing to help you extract maximum value from existing collections and datasets
Your organization likely has valuable data and biological samples that haven't reached their full research potential. Whether it's years of husbandry records, archived tissue samples, or field observations sitting in spreadsheets, we help you transform these resources into publishable science and actionable insights.
Many organizations collect excellent data but lack the statistical expertise or bandwidth to analyze it rigorously. We provide advanced analytical support, from exploratory data visualization to complex statistical modeling, tailored to your specific research questions. This service is especially valuable when you need to make evidence-based decisions about husbandry practices, conservation strategies, or resource allocation.
Real-world example: For one study evaluating leopard shark handling techniques, we compared physiological stress responses between manually restrained and anesthetized individuals during blood sampling. This allowed us to make evidence-based recommendations about handling protocols while also contributing to our understanding of elasmobranch stress physiology.
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This service includes:
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Statistical analysis
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Data visualization that clearly communicates patterns and relationships
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Sample processing, coordination, and results interpretation
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Retrospective analysis of historical datasets to identify trends or test hypotheses
Whether you're sitting on five years of behavioral observations or freezer samples waiting for analysis, we help you move from "we should publish this someday" to actionable research outputs that advance both your institutional goals and the broader field.
Publication Support
Manuscript development, statistical analysis, literature review assistance, and research communication consultation
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Getting from finished research to a published paper requires specialized skills that many practitioners don't have time to develop. We provide comprehensive support throughout the publication process, from initial manuscript structure through submission and revision, helping you share your work with the scientific community.
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This service benefits organizations that are conducting research but need help translating it into peer-reviewed publications. Whether you're a first-time author or an experienced researcher facing a particularly complex analysis or synthesis, we provide the expertise to move your work toward publication while maintaining your voice and vision for the project.
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Support services include:
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Manuscript development and editing for scientific journals
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Statistical analysis and results interpretation
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Literature review and synthesis to properly contextualize your findings
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Figure and table development that effectively communicates your results
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Guidance on journal selection and manuscript formatting
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Response to reviewer comments and manuscript revision support
We understand both the scientific standards required for publication and the practical constraints facing aquarium, zoo, and field research teams. Our goal is to help you communicate your findings effectively while building your team's capacity for future independent publication. This service supports individual researchers, institutional research departments, and collaborative teams working to disseminate their conservation and husbandry research to broader audiences.
Capacity Building
One-on-one mentorship for husbandry, lab, and field research projects—helping your team develop skills and confidence in research execution
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The most sustainable research programs are those where institutional staff develop deep competency in research skills. Rather than simply conducting research for you, this service focuses on research with you—building your team's ability to design studies, collect data, and solve methodological challenges independently.
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This mentorship approach is ideal for organizations developing their research programs, staff members taking on new research responsibilities, or teams who want to move from data collection to data analysis and interpretation. I work alongside your staff in the field, lab, or office, providing real-time guidance and building confidence through hands-on experience.
Example applications:
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Training staff in field research techniques specific to your study system (seine netting, acoustic telemetry deployment, mark-recapture protocols)
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Teaching data analysis skills so your team can conduct their own statistical analyses
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Developing research literacy—helping staff read and apply relevant literature to their work
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Troubleshooting methodological challenges as they arise in ongoing projects
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Building institutional research protocols and training materials for long-term use
Unlike traditional consulting, where we deliver a finished product, capacity building is collaborative and educational. You gain not just the immediate research output, but also the expertise to tackle similar challenges in the future. This service is particularly valuable for small to mid-sized institutions building research capacity, early-career professionals developing specialized skills, and teams transitioning from primarily husbandry-focused to research-active operations.
Custom Support
Tailored consulting solutions for unique research challenges and organizational needs
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Every organization faces research challenges that don't fit neatly into standard service categories. Maybe you need help navigating a complex multi-institutional collaboration, developing a long-term monitoring program with limited resources, or translating research findings into public-facing content. Custom support provides flexible, problem-solving consultation designed around your specific situation.
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This service is for organizations that know they need expert guidance but aren't sure exactly what form that should take. Through initial consultation, we'll identify your core challenges, available resources, and desired outcomes—then develop a support plan that addresses your actual needs rather than forcing your project into a predetermined framework.
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When custom support might be right:
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You're launching an ambitious project that requires expertise across multiple domains (field methods, laboratory analysis, stakeholder engagement, regulatory compliance)
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You need strategic guidance on research program development—what questions to prioritize, how to allocate limited funding, or how to build partnerships
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Your organization is transitioning between research phases (pilot study to full program, single-site to multi-site, internal monitoring to external collaboration)
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You need someone to troubleshoot a stalled project and identify what's blocking progress
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You're developing research infrastructure or protocols for a new facility or program
Examples of custom consulting:
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Facilitating collaborative research projects across multiple institutions with different organizational cultures and capacities
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Developing sampling strategies for rare or difficult-to-study species where standard protocols don't apply
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Creating research communication materials that translate technical findings for stakeholders, funders, or public audiences
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Providing strategic planning support for conservation research programs
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Designing community science or stakeholder engagement components for research projects
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Navigating institutional review processes, permitting requirements, or collaborative agreements
The advantage of custom support is complete flexibility. We can structure our work as a single intensive consultation, ongoing advisory support throughout a project, or periodic check-ins at critical decision points. The scope, timeline, and deliverables are entirely tailored to what you need.
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If you have a research challenge that doesn't quite fit the standard service descriptions, let's talk. Often the most impactful consulting work happens when we can design the support structure around the problem rather than adapting the problem to fit existing services.
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