Welcome to our newest team members, Jyothsna, Aurélie and Visheshika! I am excited to introduce you to some of the newest members of EDI Global’s Research Team.
First, I would like to introduce Jyothsna Yasarapu, who has recently joined us as a Senior Research Officer. Jyothsna previously worked in social sector consulting in India undertaking monitoring and evaluation studies across agriculture, skill development, education and other sectors. With her MSc in Impact Evaluation from the University of East Anglia (UEA) she has strengthened her focus on evaluation research, while her previous masters in Rural Management from Institute of Rural Management (IRMA) continues to serve as a foundation for engaging in the development sector. She joined EDI Global with a strong urge to put her academic and professional experience into practice at a global scale while focusing on research rigour.
Together with Aurélie and Visheshika, she completed EDI Global’s comprehensive induction training which gave her a thorough understanding of the high quality of research work that EDI Global engages in. With the year turning to a close, she is looking forward to putting her early learnings in perspective and gear towards a happening year at EDI Global. Jyothsna is currently leading two projects, the endline data collection for evaluation of ‘African Poultry Multiplication Initiative’ across ten regions in Tanzania and an exploratory study of groundnut seed preferences among farmers in Tanzania.
Next, I would like to introduce Aurélie Gerbier, who joined us as an Assistant Research Officer. Prior to Joining our Research Team, Aurélie worked as a Data and Impact Analyst for a UK Non-Profit Organisation on Gender-based violence issues. Likewise, she worked at the Ministry of Finance in Haiti, where she assessed the performance of private investment projects granted tax incentives and collaborated with Government Agencies and Development Finance Institutions on Haiti’s recent Public Finance and Economic Governance Reform.
Her interest in impact evaluation and rigorous evidence to address critical development issues is motivated by the challenges of development aid she witnessed across the globe. Such experience, combined with her previous Master’s in Government and Public Management from University of Chile, was a determinant in her decision to pursue an MSc in Impact Evaluation and International Development at UEA.
EDI Global’s high-quality evidence and work encompass a vast array of topics and research methods, making it an attractive place for her as an Assistant Research Officer to gain research experience and contribute to the improvement of people’s lives. Furthermore, what amazes her at EDI is the diversity and multiculturalism of its Team that comprises personnel from four continents and more than ten nationalities. This work environment speaks volumes about the Company’s values and commitment to finding solutions to global issues.
It’s been almost three months since Aurélie joined the Team, and she is currently involved in one of our projects in Uganda, “The Small Firm Diaries project” which is a multi-country study aiming to provide insight into the financial lives of small firms. She has already acquired thorough insight into our high-quality data collection standard, efficient project management and symbiosis collaboration with the Coordination Team in East Africa. She is avidly looking forward to building on our colleagues’ extensive research expertise to expand her research skills and field experience in East Africa.
Finally, I would like to introduce Visheshika Baheti , who has joined us as an Assistant Research Officer. Previously, Visheshika was pursuing her Master’s in Economics at the London School of Economics (LSE). During this period, she worked on several projects that increased her interest in the field of development economics. As a Summer Intern at Precision Development, she designed and evaluated surveys to assess the user experience of a newly launched WhatsApp bot for agricultural traders. As a Research Assistant at STICERD (LSE), she conducted an event study to measure the impact of language legislations on redistributive preferences. As part of her thesis, she used regression discontinuity design to evaluate the differential impact of rural electrification in drought-prone and water-abundant regions.
Through these experiences, she realised her passion for the field of development research and looked for an opportunity to work with an organisation like EDI Global, where she could understand how theory translates into practice by getting a hands-on experience with the data collection and research process.
In the past few months, Visheshika’s experience at the organisation working on a large-scale novel longitudinal study on early childhood developmental outcomes (Kizazi Kijacho) in Tanzania has been stimulating – as the data collection process presents us with new challenges, the project has not only provided a steep learning curve – but instilled in me a greater desire to grow and produce high-quality research.
I’m thrilled to have these talented individuals join our Research Team. I’m truly proud to have such a talented and diverse group of colleagues who are dedicated to our mission and committed to make a positive difference in people’s lives via high-quality evidence and research.
Please join us in welcoming Aurélie, Jyothsna and Visheshika to the team!
Dr. Johanna Choumert-Nkolo
Director of Research
