I am a researcher ...

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…. and in the last fifteen years, I have conceptualised, designed and delivered projects across a diverse scope of thematic areas for women and girls’, and other historically marginalised groups and communities. I have proven ability to translate complex gender and inclusion knowledge into actionable insights for high-level stakeholders in public and private sectors.

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My expertise includes: women's economic rights and women’s and girls' economic empowerment, the care economy (paid and unpaid), social protection (including shock-responsive social protection), climate justice, disaster risk finance, urban development and infrastructure. I have also contributed to work on child protection, food security and nutrition, sexual and gender-based violence and engaging with men and boys.

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I have a track record of leading and managing teams across regions, developing impactful insights, and supporting women and girls’ empowerment through strategies driven by research and evidence. I also have a strong commitment to implementing feminist principles in strategies and frameworks, and support initiatives to promote understanding and discussion on feminist leadership within organisations and programmes. 

 

My extensive experience has been developed through leading and managing complex multi-million, multi-country international development programmes and projects. I have also worked and built relationships in a wide range of international contexts, including Africa, Asia, the Caribbean, Europe, Latin America and North America. I have collaborated with donors (e.g., UK’s FCDO) and institutions (e.g., UN agencies and the World Bank) to influence policy. Additionally, I am effective at communicating complex information to diverse audiences in various media.

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My roles centre on using evidence-based approaches to support a more equitable present and future. As Research Lead at the Centre for Disaster protection, I lead on research in accelerating and strengthening the global evidence base on social protection and disaster risk financing. Previously, I managed a research programme on gender-responsive age-sensitive social protection at UNICEF Innocenti and held positions at ActionAid UK (Senior Technical Advisor on Women's Rights), the World Bank Group (Africa Fellow in the Social Protection and Jobs practice), Social Development Direct (Technical Specialist on Women's Economic Empowerment), Institute of Development Studies (Research Fellow, and before that Research Officer).

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Throughout my career, I've also had the privilege of collaborating with organisations to provide research and consulting services to inform policies and strategies. These include ActionAid International, Commonwealth Secretariat, the Cities Alliance, FCDO, FAO, Hewlett Foundation, IDRC, IFPRI, IIED, OECD, Plan UK, Shell Foundation, SIDA and the UN.

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I design engaging seminars, lectures and workshops. My expertise lies in integrating gender and intersectionality across strategies and processes. I’ve lectured undergraduate and postgraduate students. I've trained policymakers and practitioners on gender inclusion in organisations like Cities Alliance and the Commonwealth Secretariat, where I’ve developing relevant toolkits and guidance notes. My feminist and intersectional approach, informed by international best practices, has also informed research on women's and girls' economic empowerment in countries including India, Nepal, Malawi, Lesotho and Zambia.

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A human geographer with strong qualitative and participatory research and analytical skills, I hold a PhD in Human Geography and Urban Studies and MSc in Urbanisation and Development (London School of Economics). My PhD, awarded a one-year Leverhulme Trust Award to conduct my fieldwork, explored the lives of women and men working as paid domestic workers in Lagos, Nigeria. It contributed to scholarship on gender, intersectionality, migration and informal economies.

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 ... and a writer

Passionate about literature and amplifying new voices and stories, I wear another hat: founder and editor of bookshy, a blog for exploring African literature, ABC - a website dedicated to African Book Covers, and editor of REWRITE READS, a literary magazine committed to diverse perspectives. I was also one-third of Not Another Book Podcast. My writing has appeared in African Arguments, Brittle Paper and New African Magazine. I have moderated and chaired talks with African writers at a number of international events including Africa Writes in London, England, Ake Arts & Books Festival in Abeokuta, Nigeria, and Writivism Festival in Kampala, Uganda. 

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