Eli Lieber took an unconventional route to the Psychology Ph.D. program at the University of Illinois. After working for several years as a preschool teacher and at a residential facility for children, he developed a fascination with child development and psychology. This hands-on experience sparked his interest in researching how communities and societies shape child outcomes on a larger scale. Though initially interested in clinical psychology, Eli was drawn to research, particularly the interdisciplinary approach at Illinois that allowed him to explore his interests in developmental, social, quantitative, and community psychology.

At Illinois, Eli thrived in the rigorous academic environment, developing strong quantitative and methodological skills under renowned faculty including Carol Dweck, Ed Diener, Bob Wye and others within and beyond the Psychology Department. The program's flexibility allowed him to pursue his diverse interests across psychology subfields.  Beyond this, Illinois is a leader in computer science and Eli had broad exposure into programming and data management—hard to avoid when you need to book time on the mainframe to do your stats homework or run analysis for one of your advisor’s projects.  

Additionally, Eli had the opportunity to participate in community-based research, be contracted to run a research project for the local school district, and spend a number of years being responsible for managing all data from projects being carried out in his advisor’s lab—from collection to preparation for analysis. These methodological practices, exposure, and skills have allowed Eli to pursue his interests in creative and flexible ways. He credits this multidisciplinary training as foundational for his later career integrating different research approaches in far more eclectic and natural ways than are typically practiced.

Being curious, adventurous, and passionate about family, Eli and his wife relocated to Taiwan while he was completing his dissertation. This experience profoundly shaped his perspective, allowing him to apply his research skills in a new cultural context. He formed valuable connections with local academics and gained exposure to the emerging field of indigenous Chinese psychology under the tutelage of Professor Yang, Kuo-shu.

This period sparked Eli's interest even more in qualitative and mixed methods research approaches as he learned to embrace the value of qualitative methods.  Taken together, his curiosity for how to connect and manage the data that could be gathered from more combinations of methods grew and, naturally for Eli, how to engineer tools to help.

Career Launch at UCLA

Eli's unique background made him an ideal fit for a position at UCLA's Center for Culture and Health. Hired by Tom Weisner to direct the Fieldwork and Qualitative Data Research Laboratory, Eli had the great fortune to work with and learn from a multidisciplinary team of scholars including Tom, Ron Gallimore, Belinda Tucker, Andrew Fuligni, Bob Edgerton and others. The lab essentially served as a multidisciplinary social science methodology consulting service and contributed to a wide variety of project within the Center, at UCLA, and around the world.  

During this time, Eli honed his skills in mixed methods research, gaining methodological expertise across disciplines and in all aspects of interdisciplinary social science research. This role allowed him to creatively apply and expand upon the range of his experiences and, through working on countless projects, develop a deep understanding of the research process and enterprise, and envision ways it can be developed further.

The Birth of Dedoose

The problem that prompted the development of Dedoose was a practical data management challenge presented by the New Hope Project in the early 2000’s.  A system was needed that could receive data both qualitative and quantitative data from remote locations, allow for their sharing, management, interaction, transformation, visualization, analysis, and export results securely.

This practical matter created an opportunity for Eli to bring together some disparate aspects of his uniquely broad skillset and build the software solution that became Dedoose. What started as an in-house solution has today grown into a full-fledged research platform used by scholars worldwide. The ‘passion project’ organically evolved into a successful business venture.  Moreover, Eli and Tom Weisner find some of their greatest fulfilment as educators and research professionals in how Dedoose has been instrumental in advancing the work of tens-of-thousands of research projects.  For Researchers, By Researchers is their company motto and is all about connecting with, serving, and advancing the research community. They designed Dedoose to do precisely that.

Returning to Illinois

This blog is adapted from a recent podcast where Eli talked about returning to the University of Illinois 29 years after completing his Ph.D. requirements to participate in the hooding ceremony. This symbolic gesture represents a full-circle moment, allowing him to reflect on his academic journey and share the experience with his family.

Despite the changes to campus over the years, Eli was looking forward to revisiting meaningful places and reconnecting with the community that shaped his early career. Having gone on to a successful 25-year career as an Associate Research Psychologist at UCLA and continuing to run the company behind Dedoose, this story highlights the often non-linear path of academic and entrepreneurial success.

Eli’s story is a testament to how curiosity, collaboration, and a drive to solve practical problems can shape a meaningful and unique career. For those interested in learning more about the research that informed his work—and continues to influence his thinking today—his publications, including those that can help you better master and apply Dedoose in your own work, are available through his Google Scholar author page.