About Me
I help mission-driven ideas become clear, fundable, and doable.
I’m Alycia Bisson, Ph.D. A behavioral scientist, writer, and program strategist who helps organizations and individuals turn complex ideas into evidence-informed projects, plans, and communications that are grounded in real-world context.
My work often begins when a project feels important, but unclear.
Maybe there’s a grant opportunity on the table. Maybe there’s a program to design, a community need to respond to, a public-facing platform to build, or a big idea that has potential but needs structure. That’s where I come in.
I help clarify what the project is, who it serves, why it matters, what evidence supports it, and how it can realistically be carried out.
My Background.
I earned my Ph.D. in Psychology from Brandeis University, where I studied how sleep and physical activity shape cognitive functioning across adulthood. Later, at Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School, I examined sleep biomarkers and future health outcomes.
Across these research settings, I learned how to ask better questions, evaluate evidence, understand behavior in context, and translate complex findings into information people can actually use.
That training now shapes all of my work. From grant strategy and program design to evaluation planning, messaging, public education, and thought leadership.
In addition to my academic and applied research background, I’ve collaborated with CMRignite, one of the nation’s leading social-impact marketing agencies, where I developed and copyedited technical documents, programs, and public-facing materials for clients including FEMA, USDA, and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
This work strengthened the skillset that I've honed throughout my career: translating rigorous evidence into clear, actionable strategies that help people, organizations, and communities move forward.
How I work.
I don’t believe strong projects are built from templates alone.
They are built by understanding the full context: the people being served, the place where the work will happen, the needs and barriers involved, the partners who will contribute, the evidence behind the approach, and the capacity required to make it sustainable.
When I work with a client, I take time to understand not only what they are trying to do, but what they need the project to accomplish.
Then I research, organize, and shape the idea into a plan that is clear, aligned, fundable, and manageable.
My goal is to make a project sound compelling AND to help make it work.
What I bring to the table.
My work blends behavioral science, research translation, strategic communication, program design, grant writing, and evaluation.
That combination allows me to support projects from multiple angles:
- Understanding the need
- Shaping the program model
- Clarifying the audience
- Aligning partners and priorities
- Developing grant-ready language
- Planning outcomes and evaluation
- Translating expertise into public-facing content
- Making complex ideas easier to understand, support, and implement
Whether I’m helping a nonprofit design a fundable program, supporting someone build a public platform, or working with a mission-driven team to communicate their impact, I bring the same approach: listen deeply, research carefully, organize thoughtfully, and build something people can actually use.