I met Justin, the current CEO of Nurau, in the 2nd year of my PhD in 2019. At that time, Nurau had just begun to exist and had gotten funding from Fonds de Recherche du Québec to host a podcast helping graduate students develop skills to better cope with their mental health. It was a topic I was interested in, so I hopped on board to be the podcast host for “Master your PhD”, a show that interviewed supervisors, students and researchers on topics ranging from dealing with anxiety to parenting in academia.
Development of Microlearnings
As the company grew in vision, its main product became 15 min microlearning training sessions for managers covering topics from psychological safety and belonging to adapting to the remote work transition. We had found that if we were to affect mental health at the workplace, the biggest leverage point was to train managers in skills related to emotional intelligence and organizational psychology. Many managers, especially in the retail space, are thrown in a very people-oriented job with little support on how to manage difficult and complex problems before they escalate to HR.
My role officially became Chief Research Officer and together with a team of 8 research assistants (3 focused on data analysis of surveys, 5 focused on literature reviews), we compiled the latest in organizational psychology scientific literature and using research on active learning techniques, distilled it into 6 themed journeys, each comprising 6 15 min interactive, facilitated microlearning experiences that blended group discussion with personal reflection and more traditional teaching.
As these microlearnings were prepared, I met with members of a think tank we had assembled comprising experts in Mental Health First Aid and workplace psychology to get their feedback in an iterative design process.
Finally, our research team collaborated with the design and marketing team to produce presentations which were ultimately delivered to clients in various pilot projects.
Product Evaluation & Crafting
One of my main roles was to develop systems to evaluate the product and write white papers summarizing the results of the pilot for clients. To this end, my team and I were tasked with creating surveys that included scientifically validated scales to assess metrics such as social connectedness and general wellbeing that were delivered before and after the pilot. We also conducted entry and exit interviews to assemble qualitative data which we then included in our white papers to clients (i.e. BAM Strategy, Ardene, La Vie en Rose, Germain Hotels).
Management of R & D team
A large part of my role as Chief Research Officer was the management of the team. This included weekly meetings with each team member to assign roles, check in and outline research priorities (writing, data analysis, graphic design, literature review). I also began a weekly journal club that the whole company was invited to during which R&D team members had to present a scientific paper and its relevance to Nurau, thus encouraging constant discussion of how our product related to the latest literature in the field.
As a member of the executive team, I monitored and reported on my team’s Objective and Key Results (OKR) during Quarterly Business Review and Strategy Sessions, as well as contributed to larger company strategy using tools like the business model canvas. I was also responsible for writing job descriptions and interviewing new candidates to fill new roles.
Content marketing & sales
As my role evolved from being more research focused to more so embodying the science arm of the company, my title changed to “Head of Science” and I was responsible for interviewing scientific experts, reading literature and conveying it to the public in a way that was compelling and understandable.
A major part of my content marketing focused on LinkedIn Lives, which I hosted 1-2 twice a month with experts in the field of workplace mental health and organizational psychology. This involved reaching out to researchers, crafting questions and interviewing them live. View interview with Dr. Kevin Kelloway here.
I also hosted the podcast “Nurau Insights” comprising 15 min episodes that summarized the latest scientific literature on mental health in the workplace, with particular focus on managers.
The last part of the content marketing strategy was publishing blogs on our website every 1 – 2 months. The blog articles I wrote personally are listed below:
Finally, to help with the sales pipeline, I developed a survey to measure the return on investment (ROI) of our product which potential clients would use to assess the benefit of our product to their company. This survey is still available on the website. I also contributed to investor presentations, supplying the scientific justification for the product. Nurau has currently raised $1.5 million in their seed round.
Building AI algorithm & finetuning
In 2023, with the advancement of large language models, our product evolved to include AI-powered managerial coaching in addition to the microlearnings. To this end, I contributed to building the algorithm via initial drafts of decision trees featuring common problems managers face, writing case studies with sample model answers, and using fringe cases to finetune our model.
I also interviewed Dr. Marianna Ganapini, an expert in the epistemology and ethics of AI, on what it looks like to use AI ethically in today’s workforce.
See LinkedIn Live below:
Due to family circumstances, I eventually had to leave my position at Nurau in 2024 – but the team there is one I still hold dear to my heart and the skills in management/organizational psychology/business are ones I will take with me to wherever I go next.
From the Nurau team:
I worked as a Research Assistant at Nurau for one year under Vivienne’s leadership. During that time, I contributed to several projects that Vivienne led, including preparing and publishing a white paper [detailing the results of a client pilot], [collating] evidence-based content for training modules, and [developing] a playbook outlining the scientific evidence supporting product decisions.
Vivienne is an excellent leader who leads with curiosity, compassion, and trust. As I strive to become a better leader myself, I often find myself reflecting on how Vivienne’s leadership made me feel my perspective is valued, and led to creative ideas in the team which wouldn’t have emerged without a leader like her that truly listens and encourages all to think critically.
Vivienne is highly organized, an awesome communicator, and an exceptional manager who strives to create a culture of continuous learning.
Ada Sevinç
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PhD Candidate in Kinesiology and Health Sciences, University of Waterloo
I had the privilege of working alongside Vivienne at Nurau to synthesize research and create well-being training programs for managers.
As a leader, Vivienne was approachable and fostered a warm environment that made every team member feel valued.
One aspect I particularly appreciated was how Vivienne actively sought out and incorporated feedback from the team—including mine—into the next iterations of our work. This not only improved the quality of our work but also made me feel as a valued contributor to the team.
Vivienne’s remarkable analytical and communication skills were instrumental in guiding our work, which often required navigating uncharted territory. She provided clear guidance and constructive feedback, empowering both myself and the team to continuously improve.
I wholeheartedly recommend Vivienne for any role that demands for thoughtful leadership.
Carla Benea
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1st year Medical Student, McGill University