Claire Walsh

Claire Walsh is Associate Director of Policy at J-PAL Global at MIT. She works with policymakers and J-PAL affiliated researchers around the world to share insights from randomized evaluations and promote evidence informed policy to reduce poverty and fight climate change. Claire is the Project Director for J-PAL’s King Climate Action Initiative, which evaluates innovative climate policies and technologies in the real world and works together with governments, NGOs, and companies to catalyze the scale-up of solutions that reduce carbon emissions and carbon co-pollutants, build vulnerable communities’ ability to adapt to climate change, and increase access to affordable energy.

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.