I am currently a Senior Research Fellow in the Innovation Policy and Scaling Unit at the International Food Policy Research Institute and an Associate Research Fellow at LICOS Centre for Institutions and Economic Performance of the KULeuven, Belgium. I study how agricultural markets, technologies, and rural extension systems affect smallholder livelihoods in low- and middle-income countries. I often draw on behavioral science and social psychology to better understand how farmers make decisions in the face of uncertainty and risk.

Over the past two decades, I’ve conducted extensive fieldwork across East and Southern Africa—particularly in Uganda, Tanzania, Ethiopia, and Malawi. My work includes impact evaluations, experimental studies, and value chain analyses. More recently, I’ve focused on seed adoption dynamics, gendered access to agricultural services, digital extension tools, and innovations to improve food system resilience and efficiency.

I hold a PhD in Economics from KU Leuven, and my research has been published in journals such as World Development, Economic Development and Cultural Change, and the American Journal of Agricultural Economics. I also engage actively in policy discussions through blogs, discussion papers, and stakeholder forums. I am currently an editor of the European Journal of Development Research.

You can download my CV here.