Claire Walsh

Claire Walsh leads the Policy and Communications group at J-PAL, which collaborates with the J-PAL research network and policymakers to synthesize and share insights from randomized evaluations to inform policy design and scale decisions and advance evidence-informed policy to reduce poverty. Claire is the Project Director for J-PAL’s King Climate Action Initiative, which designs, evaluates, and scales high-impact solutions at the intersection of climate change and poverty alleviation in collaboration with governments, NGOs, donors, and companies worldwide.

Claire previously led J-PAL's Innovation in Government Initiative, a global fund to support governments in harnessing data and evidence to drive innovation and improve public policy and served as interim Deputy Director of J-PAL Southeast Asia in Jakarta. In 2019, MIT awarded her the “Excellence Award,” among the highest honors of the institute for its staff. Claire holds an MA from The Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University where she specialized in development economics and international business relations and a BA in anthropology from Vassar College. Prior to joining J-PAL in 2012, she worked for NGOs working to improve the quality of education and employment opportunities for youth in East Africa.