Host Organization: International Food Policy Research Institute
First Year Placement
Based in Lilongwe, Malawi, Rachel worked as a Communications and Research Assistant at the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI). Rachel provided support for high-level events such as the Compact2025 Forum, an annual policy symposium to share IFPRI’s research and to promote evidence-based policy making to improve nutrition and food security. Rachel also provided support to other outreach and research dissemination efforts, including Policy Notes, Working Papers, and blog posts. She also researched and analyzed agriculture-to-nutrition linkages and worked with Malawi’s Ministry of Agriculture, Irrigation and Water Development to promote awareness and implementation of the forthcoming Agriculture-Nutrition Strategy.
Second Year Placement
Based in Washington, D.C., Rachel worked with the International Food Policy Research Institute’s Development Strategy and Governance Division to support research on poverty and food and nutrition security. As a research analyst, Rachel continued to work in collaboration with researchers at Tufts University on a study of fortified infant cereals and complementary feeding practices in Malawi. Rachel also contributed to poverty analyses for Malawi and Papua New Guinea and assisted with communications as needed.