Say Hello to Brendan Peppler, Research Operations Specialist

What do you do?

I support Instacart’s team of researchers by recruiting participants for user studies, facilitating survey outreach, organizing team resources, and promoting team findings internally at Instacart.

How did you get into the field of research operations?

In 2014, a friend referred me to Microsoft’s research operations team. It was my first job out of undergrad, and the learning curve for even an entry-level role seemed pretty steep. I felt totally out of my element — I vividly remember reading the Wikipedia article on ‘user experience’ on the bus to my interview in a mild panic. But, I persevered and started to get the hang of it. I primarily spent my time participant recruiting for Visual Studio studies, among other products. That was my first foray into the back-end of research and I loved the challenge.

What makes everything worth it?

Career-wise? Anytime I get positive feedback from a teammate and they tell me I made their life easier, or they couldn’t have gotten something done without me. That’s always a great feeling.

Outside of work? Pizza.

What’s the greatest piece of career advice you’ve ever received?

Maybe not explicit advice, but an old teammate of mine at Google showed me the power of action. Try stuff. Iterate and make steady, incremental steps to achieving an improvement in a process. Don’t let indecision paralyze you into doing nothing about a problem.

What advice would you give to someone in research operations who is just starting out?

Organizational skills don’t come naturally! Well, OK — some people do have a natural knack for it. But if you struggle staying on top of all your projects, take a step back, breathe, and look at how you’re using your current suite of tools and tweak your tracking system to set yourself up for success.

Where do you find inspiration?

Comedy. I really dig comedy podcasts, stand-up, sketch shows — all of it. It helps me maintain perspective. Ultimately, I want my team and I to succeed, but any of my own perceived failures need to be put in the proper context. Laugh, learn from your mistakes, and move on — it’s not the end of the world.

Working on various projects at Instacart, which one was the most challenging and exciting for you?

I’m working to build a research archive, which is how we store and tag all our old research. Insights need to be searchable and accessible across all of Instacart, and going through our already substantial back catalog of research, as well as insights we’re currently generating is quite the undertaking. I’m excited about the end-product though!

Where did you grow up and what made it special?

I grew up in Pensacola, Florida. There’s a Pensacola culinary invention, Grits a Ya Ya, which deserves more press. It’s basically a whole lot of butter, bacon, shrimp, grits, and gouda cheese whipped up into the most delicious dish you’ve ever eaten in your life. It’s also about 37,000 calories.

What was the first thing you ever designed?

In third grade, I glued a bunch of old disposable film canisters together, attached them to a small piece of plywood, and then painted it all green. I stuck all my pens, pencils, and crayons in it, and then proudly placed it on my desk. It was the world’s greatest holder of writing utensils, in my opinion.

What is something you’re most proud of in your life/career?

Landing this gig. No, seriously. I’ve never felt so hands-on with the end product, and I know I’m making an impact at Instacart. I have the privilege of working for a company where the priority is making fresh, healthy food more accessible to those who might otherwise go out to eat or order take-out. That feels fantastic.

What favorite SF secret spot can you reveal?

Uncle Boy’s in the Richmond. Best burgers in the city, hands down.

Come research with Brendan.

If you’re excited about defining the future of a one trillion dollar industry, building an ad-serving network for groceries, scaling the world’s most extensive grocery catalog, perfecting a real-time on-demand logistics chain, all while simultaneously designing the future of food for millions of people, you should take a look at the available opportunities or reach out to someone from the team.

Instacart

Instacart is the leading grocery technology company in North America, partnering with more than 1,400 national, regional, and local retail banners to deliver from more than 80,000 stores across more than 14,000 cities in North America. To read more Instacart posts, you can browse the company blog or search by keyword using the search bar at the top of the page.