I am a senior research fellow in the Development Strategy and Governance Division at the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) where I am Theme Leader for Public Investment. I am also an adjunct professor at Johns Hopkins University.

I received my Ph.D. in Political Economics and my M.A. in Economics from Stanford University, where I was a National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellow in Economics. I also hold a B.Sc. in International Political Economy from Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service.

My research focuses on the linkages between governance, fragility, gender, and poverty. One strand of work investigates the impacts of government policies and public sector incentives on poverty, women’s empowerment, and individuals’ attitudes and aspirations. A second considers the drivers of women’s voice and influence beyond the household, considering the roles of policies, interventions led by NGO and civil society actors, climate change, and economic shocks. 

I have designed and carried out surveys and field experiments in Pakistan, India, Nepal, Tanzania, Mali, Malawi, Ethiopia, Nigeria, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Papua New Guinea in collaboration with various international agencies including the World Bank, the IGC, GIZ, 3ie, WVI, ActionAid, and USAID, as well as with government and local NGO partners. 

I serve as co-editor of the CGIAR’s EnGendering Data Blog. I am also a member of the Evidence in Governance and Politics (EGAP) network and serve on the Executive Committee of the Federalism and Intergovernmental Relations Section of the American Political Science Association (APSA).

My work has been published in journals including the American Political Science Review, the American Journal of Political Science, the Journal of Public Economics, the Journal of Development Economics, Nature Climate Change, the Journal of Health Economics, World Politics, Economic Development and Cultural Change, and World Development. It has also been featured in the Economist, the New York Times, the Washington Post, Foreign Affairs, and NPR, and cited by the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.