Leadership and Contacts
C. Leigh Anderson – EPAR Principal Investigator – eparcla@uw.edu
Leigh Anderson joined the Evans School faculty in 1997. Her current research focuses on rural poverty and agriculture, and how market and policy institutions affect individual decision-making. Professor Anderson founded EPAR in 2008 and continues to direct its work which focuses on agricultural measurement and evaluation, small-scale producers in sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia, and risk and inclusion. Anderson also serves as the Marc Lindenberg Professor for Humanitarian Action, International Development, and Global Citizenship and teaches courses in economics, statistics, and international development. Anderson holds a Ph.D. in Economics from the University of Washington.
Didier Alia – Lead LSMS-ISA Data & Analytics – dyalia@uw.edu
Didier Alia joined EPAR as a Research Assistant Professor in September 2017. His research interests are in International Development, with a particular focus on Input Intensification and the Transformation of African Agriculture and Rural Spaces. He also has keen interests in Urbanization, Health, and Trade and their implications for development. He received his Ph.D. in Agricultural Economics from the University of Kentucky and also holds a BSc and a M.Sc. in Mathematics from the University of Abomey-Calavi in Benin and a Statistician-Economist Engineer Diploma (MSc) from the Sub-Regional Institute of Statistics and Applied Economics in Cameroon.
Federico Trindade – Ex-post and Spatial Analysis – ftrindad@uw.edu
Federico Trindade joined EPAR as a Research Associate in October 2018. He holds M.Sc. and Ph.D. degrees in Agricultural Economics from the University of Nebraska – Lincoln. His main areas of study are Agricultural Productivity and Agricultural Development, with specific research done on the impact of climate and irrigation on agricultural productivity, productivity growth trends, and the impact of agriculture on biodiversity and agricultural efficiency (SFA). His most recent work at EPAR has been related to Agricultural R&D and global public goods allocation.
Becca Toole – Evaluation – rtoole@uw.edu
Becca joined EPAR as a Research Scientist in 2020. In this role, she manages the “Evaluating Inclusive Transformation in Agriculture (EVITA)” grant. Prior to joining the Evans School, Becca was a Policy Manager at J-PAL, where she managed two competitive funds for randomized evaluations in agriculture and climate change and led the development of J-PAL’s policy briefs and evidence synthesis. Becca holds an M.S. in Economics and Urban & Environmental Policy & Planning from Tufts University and a B.S. in Economics and Art History from the University of Pittsburgh, where she graduated Phi Beta Kappa.
Postdoctoral Researchers
Peter Agamile – peter.epar@gmail.com
Peter Agamile was an Economist at the United Nations World Food Program in Rome, Italy, and is also an Honorary Research Fellow at the Global Development Institute of The University of Manchester, United Kingdom. His current research focuses on climate change impacts and adaptation, agricultural technology adoption, food and nutrition security, and poverty with a geographical focus on sub-Saharan Africa. Peter received his Ph.D. in Development Policy and management from The University of Manchester. He also holds an MA from the University of Bradford and a second master’s degree from Université Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne. Peter received his B.S. in Agriculture from Makerere University in Uganda.
Joaquin Mayorga – joaquin.epar@gmail.com
Joaquin Mayorga joined the Evans School of Public Policy & Governance as a postdoctoral scholar in 2023. His research focuses on international development, mainly the effects of climate hazards on agricultural productivity and small-scale producers’ livelihoods. At the Evans Policy Analysis & Research Group (EPAR), he studies how small-scale producers perceive climate change and adapt to changing weather patterns. He also works in data curation and agricultural development indicator construction using the World Bank LSMS-ISA and other large-scale surveys. Joaquin received his Ph.D. in Business Administration with a concentration in Agribusiness from the WP Carey School of Business at Arizona State University and an MA in Economics from the Center for Economic Research and Teaching (Mexico City). Before his graduate studies, he worked as a Junior Researcher at the Center for Environmental-Economic Modeling and Analysis at INESAD in La Paz, Bolivia.
Amaka Nnaji – amakaepar@gmail.com
Amaka joined EPAR as a Postdoctoral Scholar in April 2023. Her current research interests are in International Rural Development with a specific focus on the impact of access to resources and conflict on food security and well-being, poverty reduction, and financial inclusion. Prior to joining EPAR, Amaka was a Research Scientist at Innovations for Poverty Action Nigeria, where she provided research technical support to Gates Foundation Financial Services for the Poor (FSP) grantees and other policy stakeholders in the Financial Inclusion space. She is also an Early Career Fellow with the Environment for Development (EfD) Initiative. She holds a Ph.D. in Development Economics from Lincoln University, New Zealand, an MSc degree in Agricultural Development Economics from the University of Reading, United Kingdom, and a Bachelor of Agricultural Economics from the University of Nigeria, Nsukka.al-Economic Modeling and Analysis at INESAD in La Paz, Bolivia.
Vanisha Sharma – vanisha4@uw.edu
Vanisha joined EPAR as a Postdoctoral Scholar in July 2024. She has a Masters in Public
Administration (MPA) and a Ph.D. in Applied Economics from Cornell University. Her research program focuses on the digitization of developing, rural communities. At EPAR, she is leading a collaboration with the Borlough Institute of South Asia, which utilizes spatial econometrics and machine learning to map out the costs and benefits of climate adaptation strategies, and heterogeneity in climate adaptation by gender, for all countries in South Asia. She is also part of a team developing a data visualization tool for policy makers as part of the 50X2030 initiative. She is also involved in grant writing and website development. Vanisha holds an undergraduate degree in economics from the University of Hong Kong with a double minor in psychology and sociology, and is originally from New Delhi, India.
Research Scientists
Fairooz Newaz – Evaluation – fnewaz@uw.edu
Fairooz joined EPAR as a Research Scientist in November 2021. Her research interest lies in sustainable agricultural development that is both cognizant of the needs and conditions of small-scale producers and is ultimately most beneficial to these vulnerable populations in the Global South. She holds an M.S. in Global Health Policy and Management, an M.A. in Sustainable International Development from Brandeis University, and a B.S. in Medical Bioscience from Monash University.
Andrew Tomes – LSMS-ISA – atomes.epar@gmail.com
Andrew was an EPAR RA from 2019-2021. After graduating with an MPA he joined the team as a research scientist. His work has focused on LSMS-ISA indicator curation, spatial analytics, and RA mentorship. He is the lead developer of AgQuery+, a tool that improves the ease of access for EPAR’s LSMS data products. He is interested in building climate resilience in agriculture and advancing evidence-based policies for environmentally sustainable food production. Prior to Evans, he worked as a plant biologist and regulatory coordinator at an organic fertilizer startup. He holds an MS in Ecology from SUNY-ESF, where he studied plant distribution modeling under climate change and plant-fungus mutualism, and a BS in Botany and a BA in English from the University of Maine (Orono), where he worked on wetland restoration ecology.
Faculty
Shamma Alam
Shamma Alam is an Associate Professor of Economics in the Department of International Studies at Dickinson College. He also serves as a Research Associate at the CEQ Institute at Tulane University and contributes to courses at the U.S. Army War College. Shamma Alam’s research focuses on different aspects of international development, such as health issues and measurements, fertility issues, agricultural economics, public finance, and microcredit. He served as a Consultant at the World Bank several times, including in their Economic Policy, Poverty and Gender Group, Development Data Group, and East Asia and Pacific Region group. He also previously served as a consultant in the Agriculture Policy Team at the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. Shamma Alam received his M.A. and Ph.D. in Economics from the University of Washington, Seattle, and his B.A. in Economics from Franklin & Marshall College.
Seba Bishu
Sebawit (Seba) Bishu is an Assistant Professor of Public Management at the Evans School of Public Policy and Governance at the University of Washington, Seattle. She also holds a non-resident research fellowship appointment at the Harvard Kennedy School of Government, Women and Public Policy Program. Her scholarly work explores race and gender relations in public organizations with a focus on leadership, street-level bureaucracy, identity, and organizational behavior. Bishu received her PhD in Public Affairs in 2017 from the Department of Public Policy and Administration at Florida International University. She holds an MPA from Old Dominion University in Norfolk Virginia, as well as an MSc and a BSc in Architecture and Urban Planning from Addis Ababa University in Ethiopia.
Alison Cullen
Alison Cullen joined the Evans School faculty at the University of Washington in 1995. Her research involves the analysis of risks to human health and the environment, decision-making in the face of risks that are uncertain or vary spatially, temporally, and across populations, and the application of the value of information and distributional techniques. At the University of Washington, she is also an adjunct professor in the School of Public Health and in the College of the Environment and serves on the Boards of the Program on Climate Change and the Environmental Management Certificate. Cullen holds an Sc.D. in Environmental Health Management and an M.S. in Environmental Health Science, Exposure Assessment, and Engineering from Harvard University School of Public Health. She also holds a B.S. in Civil/Environmental Engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).
Marieka M. Klawitter
Marieka M. Klawitter joined the Evans School faculty in 1990. Her research focuses on public policies that affect work and income, including studies of the effects of asset-building policies, welfare policies, intra-household bargaining, and anti-discrimination policies for sexual orientation. Klawitter teaches courses on public policy analysis, quantitative methods, program evaluation, asset-building for low-income families, and sexual orientation and public policy. Klawitter holds a Ph.D. in Economics from the University of Wisconsin and an MPP and AB in Economics from the University of Michigan.
Carol Levin
Dr. Carol Levin is an expert in costing health technologies and interventions delivered in public health delivery systems. Currently, she is the director of the Global Health Cost Consortium to strengthen access to and the use of high-quality cost data for HIV and TB. Previously, she led the systematic review of the costs of global health interventions as part of the Disease Control Priorities Project. Her interests are in conducting research on the costs and cost-effectiveness of introducing and scaling up public health interventions related to maternal, reproductive, and child health and HIV. She has also recently conducted research on the costs of domestic programs in the US, recently completing work with colleagues at the UW Department of Psychiatry to estimate the cost of initiatives in the Washington State mental health program. In addition to health economics, she is also an expert in the area of food security and nutrition policy, where most recently, she focused on implementing and evaluating an integrated agriculture and health project to maximize health and nutrition outcomes. She was also a contributing author to the 2015 Global Nutrition Report on defining healthy food systems.
Research Assistants
Nezih Evren
Nezih Evren (MPA ‘25) is interested in energy regulation, environmental policy, cultural studies, and traditional art heritages. He received a B.S. in Civil Engineering and an M.S. in Earth System Sciences. Prior to joining EPAR, he worked as an energy expert, environmental specialist, and civil engineer in the public sector.
Claire Gracia
Claire Gracia (MPA ’25) is interested in evaluation and public policy analysis in educational and environmental sectors. She received her B.A. in Global Studies and Spanish from Bryant University. Prior to studying at Evans, she served in the Peace Corps in Peru; fostering community engagement and youth development. In Boston, she developed career readiness and other educational programs for students for Boston Public Schools and Tufts University.
Sam Kenney
Sam Kenney (MPA ’25) is interested in economic development among low- and middle-income countries, especially topics related to sustainable agriculture, environmental policy, and decarbonization. He received his B.A. from Bowdoin College in Africana Studies and Francophone Studies with an emphasis on governance and security challenges in Africa. Prior to joining the Evans School, Sam held various roles in the private sector related to healthcare, biotechnology, and research innovation.
Ahana Raina
Ahana Raina (MPA ’25) is passionate about pursuing a career in research using data and analytics, to inform gender, energy and economic policy. She received a B.A. in economics along with a minor in sociology from Smith College in 2020. This included her junior year of college at London School of Economics. Prior to joining EPAR, Ahana was a Research Associate at the JSW school of Public Policy at Indian Institute of Management (Ahmedabad), working on intra-household dynamics and examining impact of policy through a gender lens.
Explore our past faculty, postdoctoral researchers and research assistants, by visiting this page.