Academic staff

The Global Development Institute is made up of over 60 academics from over five continents. We are driven by the desire to advance social justice by conducting world-class, interdisciplinary research that achieves real impact.

Find out more about our staff and visit their profile pages for further information. A number of our researchers offer PhD supervision, find out more about some of our PhD supervisors

Academic staff


Dr Adam Aboobaker
Lecturer in Development Economics

Research specialism: growth and distribution, structural transformation, inflation, climate change


Dr Lawrence Ado-Kofie
Lecturer in Development Economics

Research specialism: development economics.


Prof Bina Agarwal
Professor in Development Economics and Environment

Research specialisms: gender inequality, agrarian change, environmental governance, property and land rights, group farming.


Dr Shamel Azmeh 
Senior Lecturer in Technology, Labour and Production

Research specialisms: global value chains, political economy, trade, labour, technology.


Dr Oliver Bakewell 
Reader in Migration Studies

Research specialisms: migration, mobility and refugees, Africa, migration and development, diasporas, integration and belonging.


Dr Nicola Banks
Senior Lecturer in International Development: Urban Development and Global Urbanism

Research specialisms: Tanzania, employment, youth, urban, NGOs.


Prof Armando Barrientos
Emeritus Professor of Poverty and Social Justice

Research specialisms: development economics, social protection, social assistance, Latin America.


Prof Stephanie Barrientos
Emeritus Professor in Development Policy, Leverhulme Emeritus Fellow

Research specialisms: global value chains, gender, corporate responsibility, production labour.


Prof Tanja Bastia
Professor of Migration and Development

Research specialisms: migration, Latin America, gender, race and ethnicity, social inequalities.


Prof Anthony Bebbington
Honorary Professorial Research Fellow

Research specialisms: governance.


Dr Pritish Behuria
Senior Lecturer in Politics, Governance and Development 

Research specialisms: African political economy, India, industrial policy, finance, state-business relations, energy transitions.


Dr Admos Chimhowu
Senior Lecturer

Research specialisms: land reform, sustainable development, national planning, Zimbabwe.


Dr Katarzyna Cieslik
Lecturer in Global Development

Research specialisms: social and environmental sustainability


Dr Clare Cummings
Lecturer in Politics and Development

Research specialisms: political economy, climate change, environmental justice, power relations


Dr Natalie Cunningham
Lecturer in Leadership for Development

Research specialisms: leadership development, organisational culture, coaching and talent management


Dr Upasak Das
Presidential Fellow in the Economics of Poverty Reduction

Research specialisms: development economics, poverty, poverty reduction.


Prof Ralitza Dimova
Professor in Development Economics

Research specialisms: development economics, labour, food, behaviour.


Dr Richard Duncombe 
Senior Lecturer in Information Systems and Development

Research specialisms: ICT4 development, information systems, technology.


Dr Kelechi Ekuma
Lecturer in Governance and Development Leadership

Research specialisms: human resource development, politics of development, the fourth industrial revolution, public policy.


Dr Charis Enns
Presidential Fellow in Socio-Environmental Systems 

Research specialisms: human and environmental geography, political ecology, land.


Dr Lujia Feng
Lecturer in Human Resource Management 

Research specialisms: human resources, management.


Prof David Fielding
Professor in Development Economics

Research specialisms: economics of ethnic diversity, the economics of violent conflict, monetary unions, altruism.


Dr Chris Foster 
Presidential Fellow

Research specialisms: digital development, value chains, digital trade, infrastructure, innovation.


Dr Tomas Frederiksen
Senior Lecturer in International Development

Research specialisms: political ecology, corporate social responsibility, extractive industry, mining, sustainability.


Dr Elisa Gambino
Lecturer in Global Development (Global Political Economy)

Research specialisms: China-Global South engagement, China's political economy, African development


Dr Ping Gao
Senior Lecturer in Information Systems

Research specialisms: information systems.


Dr Tom Gillespie
Lecturer in Global Urban Development and Hallsworth Research Fellow

Research specialisms: urban, Ghana, housing, social movements, urban development.


Prof Richard Heeks
Professor in Digital Development

Research specialisms: digital development, ICT4D, digital economy, digital labour, data justice, China’s digital expansion, resilience


Prof Samuel Hickey
Professor in Politics and Development

Research specialisms: governance, social protection, oil, political development.


Dr Rory Horner
Reader in Globalisation and Political Economy

Research specialisms: global value chains, pharmaceuticals, trade.


Prof Farhad Hossain
Professor in Public Management and International Development

Research specialism: management, public administration and policy, international development, governance reform, capacity building, organisational behaviour.


Prof David Hulme
Professor in Development Studies

Research specialisms: poverty and poverty reduction, the political economy of development, climate change, NGOs and civil society, global inequality.


Dr Gianluca Iazzolino
Lecturer in Digital Development

Research specialisms: digital development, digital finance, digital platforms. 


Dr Mohammed Ibrahim
Lecturer in HRM and International Development

Research specialisms: human resources, policy process, governance, state-society relations, sustainable development, Ghana.


Prof Tim Jacoby
Professor

Research specialisms: Middle East, political violence, faith, culture and humanitarianism


Dr Shirley Jenner
Senior Lecturer in Human Resource Management

Research specialisms: management, human resources.


Dr Nicholas Jepson
Lecturer in International Development and Leverhulme Early Career Fellow

Research specialisms: globalisation, political economy, China, socio-economic change.


Dr Thuy Duong Khuu
British Academy Fellow

Research specialisms: biodiversity, Vietnam, protected areas, climate change


Prof Uma Kothari
Professor in Migration and Postcolonial Studies

Research specialisms: migration and mobilities, colonialism and postcolonialism, humanitarianism, environmental change, travel and tourism.


Dr Tom Lavers
Reader in Politics, Governance and Management

Research specialisms: Ethiopia, comparative political economy, agrarian change, social policy, state-society relations.


Dr David Lawson
Senior Lecturer in Development Economics and Public Policy

Research specialisms: extreme poverty, access to justice, economic growth, cash transfers.


Prof Aminu Mamman
Professor of Management and International Development

Research specialisms: management, human resources.


Prof Diana Mitlin
Professor in Global Urbanism

Research specialisms: urban, collective action, housing, urban planning.


Dr Negar Monazam Tabrizi 
Lecturer in Information Systems and Digital Development

Research specialisms: ICT4 development, information systems, technology.


Prof Caroline Moser
Emeritus Professor

Research specialisms: urban, gender, housing.


Prof Tanja Müller
Professor in Political Sociology

Research specialisms: citizenship, global solidarity, refugees, revolutions, the horn of Africa.


Prof Khalid Nadvi
Professor in International Development

Research specialisms: political economy, global value chains, production, global standards, corporate social responsibility.


Dr Nafisatu Irene Okhade
Lecturer in HRM and International Development

Research specialisms: Public-Private Partnership (PPP) policy and infrastructure development


Dr Johan Oldekop
Reader in Environment and Development

Research specialisms: conversation, sustainability, forests.


Dr Osman Ouattara
Reader in Development Economics

Research specialisms: development economics, environment.


Dr Smith Ouma
Leverhulme Early Career Fellow

Research specialisms: urban planning, urban governance, Kenya, informal settlements, health.


Dr Rose Pritchard
Presidential Fellow in Socio-Environmental Systems

Research specialisms: agriculture, rural livelihoods.


Dr Chris Rees
Reader in Human Resources and Organisational Change

Research specialisms: organisational change, human resources, management.


Dr Dereje Regasa
Lecturer in HRM and International Development

Research specialisms: corporate finance, financial development, banking, economic growth, Finance-Growth Nexus.


Dr Jaco Renken
Senior Lecturer in Information and Communication Technology for Development

Research specialisms: ICT4 development, digital development, data-intensive development, development champions, leadership information systems.


Dr Kate Rowlands
Reader in Human Resource Management

Research specialisms: organisational change, human resources, management.


Dr Maria Rusca
Senior Lecturer in Global Development

Research specialisms: socio-environmental extremes, climate urbanism, natural hazards, experimental political ecology.


Dr Antonio Savoia
Reader in Development Economics

Research specialisms: development economics, governance, development finance.


Prof Seth Schindler
Professor of Urban Politics and Development

Research specialisms: urban, urban planning, deindustrialization, urban transformation.


Prof Kunal Sen
Professor in Development Economics & Policy

Research specialisms: India, development, economics, political economy, growth, social exclusion.


Dr Rory Stanton
Lecturer in Human Resource Development

Research specialisms: Human resource development, human resources.


Dr Alice Sverdlik
Lecturer in Social Development

Research specialisms: informality, shelter, health, climate, and equitable cities.


Dr Gindo Tampubolon
Senior Lecturer in Poverty, Inequality and Growth

Research specialisms: digital health, healthy ageing, blood biomarkers, cognitive function, longitudinal study.


Dr Erla Thrandardottir
Lecturer in Global Development (T&S)

Research specialisms: NGOs, NGO regulation


Dr Vidhya Unnikrishnan
Lecturer in Development Economics

Research specialisms: economics, development economics.


Dr Sophie Van Huellen
Senior Lecturer in Development Economics

Research specialisms: primary commodities, international finance and applied econometrics.


Prof Dale Whittington
Emeritus Professor

Research specialisms: water, dams.


Prof Philip Woodhouse
Emeritus Professor

Research specialisms: irrigation, agriculture, environment.


Dr Yin-Fang Zhang
Senior Lecturer in Development Economics

Research specialisms: development economics, China, corporate governance.


Senior tutors


Dr Mapenzie Tauzie
Senior Tutor


Research associate


Dr Clare Cummings
Research Associate


Research associates - African Cities Research Consortium


Dr Patience Adzande
Research Associate


Dr Elizabeth Dessie
Research Associate


Dr Maurice Hutton
Research Associate


Research associates - Sustainable Forest Transitions


Dr Lucas Alencar
Research Associate


Dr Katie Devenish
Research Associate