US-based youth and family researcher Smarty Pants has appointed Jordan Powers as 'Research Prodigy', providing support on qual, quant and mixed-method research. Powers is based at the firm's headquarters in Jonesborough, TN.

The company, which also has offices in seven other US cities, works on brand positioning, new product development, consumer lifestyle and trend research. Powers (pictured) joins after recently completing a PhD in Communications at Regent University, having gained her Master's degree in Professional Communication from East Tennessee State University. As a scholar, she conducted quantitative and qualitative research on topics ranging from celebrity influence on product worth, to the role of gender and race in 'fandom', to latent political messages in memes. Earlier, she worked in banking, academia and retail, and she served as an international English instructor for Chinese students.

Commenting on the appointment, Director Kara Liebeskind says: 'Jordan has been a great addition to the Smarty Pants team. She uniquely combines an inquisitive spirit with academic rigor, and she adds operational and strategic value to every initiative she works on'.

Web site: www.asksmartypants.com .

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