I lead projects on what can be done to tackle poverty in the UK. One strand of my work focusses on the future of the labour market, and ways to support those on low incomes in the context of job polarisation and increasing precariousness of work. A second strand is about what can be done nationally and locally to overcome growing regional inequality.

Straight after the MSc, I was an Overseas Development Institute (ODI) fellow in Rwanda. I worked in the Ministry of Finance on fiscal decentralisation and macroeconomic policy issues. It was an unforgettable experience, and I most enjoyed the new perspective it gave me on geopolitical events and their importance. I returned to the UK afterwards and worked for an economic consultancy and then the Institute for Fiscal Studies before taking up my role at JRF.

I chose to study at ODID because I wanted to develop capacity as an economist alongside a grounding in real-world applications, and this is just what the MSc provided. With others in my cohort going on to the ODI fellowship I also gained a network to share experiences with. I developed technical skills that have been transferable to different contexts and, although I now work on issues in the UK, I still see my work as very much about economic development.