Mallory Notting
Professional Background
Mallory is a social researcher with experience spanning evaluation, native title, public health, and social policy. Her approach to research and evaluation is underpinned by sociological research methods, drawing from her experience in both academic and applied environments. At FPC, Mallory manages and contributes to projects focusing on cultural wellbeing, which includes social impact and social policy, mental health, and public health and health promotion.
Mallory's work is systematic and thorough, and she produces high-quality, evidence-based reports. Her strong understanding of social research approaches and rigorous analytical skills enable her to uncover themes and insights that drive meaningful change. She has a particular talent for distilling complex findings into meaningful and nuanced insights that can inform policy and practice.
Prior to joining FPC, Mallory was employed as a qualitative researcher in the School of Public Health and Preventative Medicine at Monash University, where she was involved in end-of-life care research exploring the outcomes of assisted dying legislation. Before that, she worked as an anthropological researcher at the Cape York Land Council, assisting consultant anthropologists in fieldwork and native title research with Traditional Owners.
Mallory also works as a research assistant at the University of Melbourne School of Social and Political Sciences, contributing to research on topics such as the impacts of COVID-19 on digital nomads.
Areas of Expertise
Mallory's expertise spans social research and evaluation, with particular strength in qualitative data analysis, cultural wellbeing, and public health evaluation. Her approach combines rigorous sociological research methods with practical application in both academic and applied settings.
Specialist Expertise
- Qualitative Data Collection and Analysis: Advanced skills in qualitative research methods, thematic analysis, and distilling complex findings into meaningful insights
- Evaluation Framework Development: Expertise in developing and implementing tailored evaluation frameworks and approaches for diverse contexts
- Ethics in Research and Evaluation: Extensive experience managing ethics submissions and promoting responsible evaluation practices
- Knowledge Translation: Skilled in communicating and sharing impact through written and verbal formats for diverse audiences
- Sociological Research Methods: Strong conceptual and critical thinking skills drawn from academic and applied research experience
- Large-Scale Evaluation Management: Proven ability to coordinate complex, multi-year evaluations with multiple stakeholders
Sector Experience
- Mental Health and Suicide Prevention: Extensive experience evaluating programs within Movember's mental health portfolio, including social connectedness initiatives for men
- Public Health and Health Promotion: Leading evaluations for programs like Healthy Loddon Campaspe and ACT's Fresh Tastes, assessing community health initiatives
- Social Impact and Inclusion: Evaluating initiatives such as Women in Trades programs and VicScreen's Development Programs
- Cultural Wellbeing: Background in anthropology informing work on cultural tourism, Indigenous research, and heritage studies
Research Interests
- Tourism and mobilities
- Heritage studies
- Social and cultural geography
- Ethics in research and evaluation
Selected Projects
Mallory has led and contributed to diverse evaluation projects spanning mental health, public health, social impact, and cultural wellbeing. Her work demonstrates expertise in qualitative research, stakeholder engagement, and developing evaluation approaches that are tailored to specific contexts and populations.
Movember Mental Health and Suicide Prevention Portfolio
Worked closely with Movember on evaluations including the Social Innovators Challenge, a global initiative for men's social connectedness. Manages ethics protocols, supports funded projects across four countries, and has contributed to global knowledge community meetings in Canada and the UK. Also evaluated the Digital Social Connections Challenge, 'Dad in Progress' Podcast Series, and 'Family Man' digital product.
Evaluation of ACT School Active Travel Programs
Led evaluation of the 10-year suite of programs to increase student active travel rates. Used robust methodology including surveys from nearly 2,000 students, parents and teachers, prior evaluation data, and updated pedestrian and traffic data. Report will inform transport, environment, and health programming.
VicScreen Development and Audience Engagement Programs
Led two evaluations for the Victorian Government's screen development agency. Both projects involved comprehensive desktop and literature reviews and primary data collection, assessing outcomes against key VicScreen strategic objectives to identify alignment opportunities.
Healthy Loddon Campaspe Initiative
Leading external evaluation support, developing a comprehensive Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning Plan. Supporting Health Brokers from six LGAs to collect data, producing annual progress reports, and working with organisational partners and the Department of Health on contextually appropriate evaluation approaches.
Turn the Tide Program Evaluation
Providing evaluation support for the T3 program which connects, supports and champions women in the seafood industry. Developed comprehensive monitoring and evaluation framework, supporting implementation and facilitating reflection and program improvement processes.
Local Prevention Grants Program Evaluation
Developed and implemented evaluation framework for large-scale prevention grants program funding 14 projects across NSW. Worked closely with funded projects to develop evaluation approaches relevant to their contexts and populations while adhering to the overall framework.
Education & Qualifications
Mallory's educational background in social policy, anthropology, and sociology provides a strong foundation for her work in evaluation and social research, particularly in understanding cultural dynamics, social policy impacts, and community wellbeing.
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Master of Social Policy
University of Melbourne, 2018
Advanced study in social policy analysis, research methods, and policy evaluation. Developed expertise in understanding social systems and policy impacts that informs current evaluation work. -
Bachelor of Arts Honours (Anthropology)
James Cook University, 2017
Honours thesis explored the experiences of non-Indigenous Australian tourists taking part in Indigenous cultural tourism. Received Academic Medal for Honours thesis, recognising exceptional research quality. -
Bachelor of Arts
University of Melbourne, 2013
Comprehensive study in humanities and social sciences, developing foundational research and analytical skills essential for social research and evaluation work.
Awards & Publications
- Emerging New Talent Award – Australian Evaluation Society, 2023
- Academic Medal – James Cook University, for Honours thesis
- Publication: Holleran, M & Notting, M (2023) "Mobility guilt: digital nomads and COVID-19", Tourism Geographies, 25:5, 1341-1358
- Chapter: "Evaluation and Impact Measurement" (Chapter 1.13), in The Australian Pro Bono Manual: A practice guide and resource kit for law firms
Professional Experience
- Principal Consultant – First Person Consulting (Current)
- Research Assistant – University of Melbourne, School of Social and Political Sciences (Current)
- Qualitative Researcher – Monash University, School of Public Health and Preventative Medicine (Previous)
- Researcher (Anthropology) – Cape York Land Council (Previous)
Professional Skills
- Qualitative Research: Expert-level skills in qualitative data collection, analysis, and thematic interpretation
- Sociological Methods: Strong foundation in sociological research approaches from academic and applied contexts
- Ethics Management: Extensive experience managing ethics submissions and developing ethical oversight frameworks
- Project Coordination: Proven ability to manage complex, multi-stakeholder evaluation projects
- Knowledge Translation: Skilled in translating research findings into accessible formats for diverse audiences
Key Contributions and Achievements
- Recipient of the Australian Evaluation Society's Emerging New Talent Award 2023
- Contributed to global knowledge community meetings for Movember in Canada and the UK
- Presented Family Man evaluation results at the 2022 Australian Institute of Family Studies Conference
- Published peer-reviewed research on digital nomads and mobility in Tourism Geographies
- Co-authored chapter on Evaluation and Impact Measurement in The Australian Pro Bono Manual
- Led comprehensive evaluation of 10-year ACT School Active Travel Programs
