With You From Design to Defense

… and Everything in Between

Dr. Nirmala Narayan

I’m an educator, researcher, and coach dedicated to helping graduate and doctoral students navigate their dissertation journey with clarity and confidence. With a Ph.D. in Education from the George Washington University and training as an Interdisciplinary Qualitative Research Methodologist, I combine academic rigor with a student-centered approach that meets you where you are.

I believe that a dissertation is more than a requirement—it is a transformative journey of growth, resilience, and self-discovery. My role is to be your partner at every stage—whether you’re developing your research design, analyzing data, writing chapters, or preparing for your defense—so you not only finish strong, but also begin the next chapter of your journey with clarity, confidence, and purpose.

 Support at a Glance

I offer tailored coaching and practical guidance across all stages of the dissertation process. Explore the areas below to learn more about how we can work together.

  • Individualized support tailored to your dissertation journey, including help with research design, theoretical framing, literature reviews, chapter drafting, and revision. I also provide accountability structures, mentorship on scholarly voice, and guidance in navigating reflexivity, identity, and positionality in your work.

  • Comprehensive guidance to strengthen your academic writing at every stage of the doctoral process. I provide detailed feedback on dissertation proposals and IRB applications, ensuring your research design and protocols are clear, rigorous, and aligned with institutional requirements. For dissertation chapters, I provide in-depth reviews that focus on structure, argumentation, and clarity, helping you refine your scholarly voice and develop a strong narrative flow throughout your work.

  • Personalized support for your dissertation study—from choosing the right methods to collecting data and analyzing it with confidence. Together, we’ll build the skills and clarity you need to move your dissertation forward and finish strong.

  • Get personalized guidance to make sense of your qualitative data and turn it into meaningful findings for your dissertation. I offer support with coding—whether you’re using MAXQDA, NVivo, or manual methods—while keeping your process systematic and aligned with your research design. Together, we’ll explore strategies such as thematic, narrative, and discourse analysis, so your interpretations are rigorous and closely tied to your research questions. With an emphasis on reflexivity and positionality, this support goes beyond coding to help you generate insights that strengthen your dissertation chapters, journal articles, and presentations.

  • These topic-specific workshops address key aspects of the dissertation process, such as conducting and synthesizing literature reviews, learning practical strategies for qualitative coding, and applying theoretical frameworks effectively to research questions and findings. Whether you are at the early stages of framing your study or in the midst of analyzing data, these workshops provide structured, supportive environments where complex tasks are broken down into manageable steps and practical skills are developed for long-term success.

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Let’s Connect

I know you have many options when it comes to support — what matters most is finding someone who understands how you think, write, and learn best. That’s why I offer a Free 30-minute discovery session: a chance to connect, talk through where you are in your process, and explore how we might work together to support you on your journey.