Raphael Bradenbrink

Raphael Bradenbrink is a DPhil candidate at the Oxford Department of International Development, a Researcher with the Refugee Economies Programme, and a Research Supervisor at the Oxford SDG Impact Lab. His research explores the political economy of refugee assistance, with a focus on the increasing role of philanthropic foundations and private sector actors in shaping humanitarian and development responses. His doctoral research examines the UNHCR–IKEA Foundation partnership around Dollo Ado in Ethiopia as a case of public–private collaboration in global refugee governance.

Raphael has conducted extensive fieldwork in refugee camps in Ethiopia and Kenya. His work draws on qualitative, survey-based, and creative methodologies, including collaborative filmmaking, to understand the economic lives and agency of displaced communities. Recent co-authored work has examined links between depression, violence, and socioeconomic outcomes among refugees in East Africa. He is a co-creator of the Refugee Stories project, a large-scale research and multimedia initiative that brings together survey evidence and narrative approaches. 

At the Oxford SDG Impact Lab he supports research collaboration and supervision of applied projects addressing global challenges, including a current strategy consultancy with UNESCO.

Raphael holds a Master’s in Political Science from Heidelberg University and was a recipient of the Heinrich Böll Foundation PhD Scholarship and Jesus College Graduate Scholarship. He has taught MPP students at the Blavatnik School of Government and is affiliated with Centre for the Study of African Economies (CSAE). In addition to his academic research, he works as a photographer and filmmaker.