Joy Kiiru is Senior Lecturer at the University Of Nairobi School Of Economics. She is part time Policy and Research Advisor for J-PAL Gender and Economic Agency Initiative, based at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). She is also a nominated working group member of the African Scientific Research and Innovation Council (ASRIC), which is the research and innovation body of the African Union. Joy is an expert in evaluative research, using RCTs among other evaluation methodologies. She is passionate about linking research to policy with a view to inform evidence-based policy making.  

She is currently engaging with policymakers in Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania and Ethiopia with a view to understand the individual countries’ policy priorities, determine the policy and research nexus in each case, and explore areas of possible collaborations between researchers and policymakers.

Joy’s research has received international recognition. In 2009, her paper on “Policy Issues for Smallholder Farmers’ was among the finalists in the Africa-wide Competition for Women in Science.  In 2011 the Global Development Network (GDN) recognized Joy’s research and awarded her the First Prize award for her research on microfinance. She was a finalist and was feted as an outstanding scientist at the Africa Science Week in Kenya in 2018. She holds a PhD from University of Bonn, Germany; a Master degree in Economics from University of Malawi and BA in Economics and Philosophy from the University of Nairobi.

Dr. Joy Kiiru is the Deputy Board Chair and Country Representative for Mawazo Institute.