Lauren Oliver

Lauren is a PhD student at Yale School of the Environment advised by Dr. Luke Sanford. Her research focuses on quantitative measures of institutional strength and sustainability in smallholder farming communities in the Global South. In developing these measures, she aims to improve the effectiveness of projects designed to improve the wellbeing and resilience of households and ecosystems particularly vulnerable to climate change.

Prior to joining YSE, Lauren worked with the Food and Agriculture Organization-Agrifood and Economics Division to assess the degree of economic integration between refugees and hosts in Uganda, Catholic Relief Services in Malawi to conduct a long-term evaluation on a watershed improvement project, and the Miller Center for Social Entrepreneurship at Santa Clara University as a Program Assistant for the Scaling & Replication Initiative. From 2019-2020, Lauren also served as a Sustainable Agriculture volunteer in Peace Corps Benin.

Lauren holds a BS in Civil Engineering from Santa Clara University and a Masters of Global Affairs from the University of Notre Dame. When she is not debugging code or critically analyzing development policy, Lauren is trying out a new local brewery or running with her dog, Tala.