Open to opportunities

Amarachi Ogbonna

@amarachiogbonna1

Message

Development economist and sustainability researcher translating evidence into gendered, community-led solutions.

Nigeria

Message

What I'm looking for

I seek research-focused roles in development or sustainability where I can translate rigorous evidence into gender-responsive, community-led policy and programs while mentoring teams and scaling impact.

I am a development economist and sustainability researcher with over five years of experience producing evidence for policy, practice, and academia across Africa and Asia. I hold a PhD in Sustainable Development with a near-perfect CGPA and a full research fellowship, and I publish and present on multidimensional poverty, livelihoods, gendered sustainable interventions, and governance.

I have applied research to practice by co-designing and implementing sustainable solutions with women’s self-help groups, training and mentoring students in participatory rural appraisal and human-centered design, and drafting policy briefs and peer-reviewed papers to influence policy and programming.

Experience

Work history, roles, and key accomplishments

Current

Research Associate

Current

The European Xtramile Centre of African Studies

Aug 2025 - Present (2 months)

Lead and coordinate research on economics, energy, and development studies in Africa, draft and co-author policy briefs and academic papers, and manage remote team logistics and stakeholder communication.

Policy Writing Economic Research Stakeholder Management literature review Remote Collaboration

Current

Research Officer

Current

City International Model United Nations

Jun 2020 - Present (5 years 4 months)

Co-organize SDG-focused MUN conferences, conduct in-depth SDG research and background guides, simplify complex material for students, and manage operational duties for events in Abuja and Lagos.

Event Coordination Curriculum Development Administrative Support

Research Intern

The European Xtramile Centre of African Studies

Aug 2024 - Jul 2025 (11 months)

Proofread over 50 economic research papers, conducted literature reviews, and co-authored a forthcoming publication under review in the Journal of Economic Surveys.

literature review Proofreading Data Synthesis

Field Mentor

Live-In-Labs, Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham

May 2025 - Jun 2025 (1 month)

Supervised and mentored undergraduates during fieldwork, coordinated logistics and safety protocols, and provided guidance on data collection, research ethics, and field methodologies.

Field Supervision Mentoring Research Ethics Data Collection Logistics Coordination Monitoring & Evaluation

Research Intern

Association for Promoting Women in Research and Development

Jul 2023 - Jul 2024 (1 year)

Proofread over 25 economic research papers, conducted literature reviews, and contributed to one policy brief and two published research papers in 2024.

Proofreading literature review Policy Briefing Academic & Research

Research Trainer

Live-In-Labs, Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham

Feb 2023 - Dec 2023 (10 months)

Trained students on participatory rural appraisal tools and human-centered design, evaluated assignments, and supervised undergraduates during fieldwork to develop sustainable community projects.

Participatory Rural Appraisal Human Centered Design Training Curriculum Development Field Supervision Monitoring & Evaluation Community Engagement

Teaching Assistant

Amrita School for Sustainable Futures

Apr 2021 - Oct 2021 (6 months)

Prepared and delivered course materials for Research Methodology, assessed student assignments, and addressed student queries to meet learning objectives.

Teaching Curriculum Development Research Methodology Microsoft Office Assessments Lecture Delivery Academic Support

Research Intern

Institute of Economic Growth

Apr 2019 - Jul 2019 (3 months)

Conducted a literature-review project on FinTech startups and venture capital in India and applied game theory to analyze VC–startup relationship strategies.

literature review Fintech Game Theory Report Writing Data Synthesis

Undergraduate Field Researcher

Life Frontiers Engagement Program, Lady Doak College

Jan 2017 - Mar 2018 (1 year 2 months)

Conducted community and stakeholder engagement using participatory rural appraisal, delivered awareness programs, and produced reports and presentations on local interventions.

Community Engagement Participatory Rural Appraisal Report Writing Presentation Fieldwork

Education

Degrees, certifications, and relevant coursework

Amrita School for Sustainable Futures, Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham

Doctor of Philosophy, Sustainable Development

2020 - 2025

Grade: 9.11/10

Activities and societies: Research fellowship (E4Life), fieldwork with women SHGs, taught/mentored students, published journal articles and policy briefs.

Ph.D. in Sustainable Development with a near-perfect CGPA, funded by the E4Life PhD Fellowship and focused on multidimensional poverty measurement and gendered sustainable solutions in rural India.

Stella Maris College, University of Madras

Master of Arts, Economics

2018 - 2020

Grade: First-Class

Activities and societies: Board member of the Chamber of Economics (two tenures); thesis research and conference presentations.

Master of Arts in Economics, graduated First-Class and ranked among the top five students in the 2020 cohort with a thesis on economic freedom, equality, and growth in Nigeria.