Gerry Nicolaas

Gerry Nicolaas is the Director of the Methods Department at NatCen, where she leads a team of survey methodology experts. Her team specialises in complex sampling and weighting, questionnaire development and testing, data collection modes, and response maximisation. Beyond survey methodology, Gerry oversees the methods function at NatCen, collaborating closely with research methodology experts across departments to cover a range of research methodologies including qualitative methods, mixed methods, evaluation, and analysis.

With over 30 years of experience as a social researcher and methodologist in government, academia, and the non-profit sector, Gerry is dedicated to applying theory and evidence from the social sciences to survey practice. She regularly partners with academic researchers on various grant-funded projects, exploring topics such as sampling methods, mixed modes, measurement error, response rates, non-response bias, and web-based surveys of the general population. She has also played a key role in designing and implementing numerous high-profile surveys in the UK, including the Health Survey for England and the National Travel Survey.

Currently, Gerry is a co-investigator of the ESRC-funded Survey Futures, an industry-wide collaboration aimed at delivering a step change in survey research. This initiative seeks to ensure the continued feasibility of conducting high-quality social surveys in the UK, which are essential for monitoring and understanding society and providing an evidence base for policy.