As MEL Specialist, Kirthi’s work involves promoting, monitoring and measuring the use of knowledge and learning from development research programmes and projects. She contributes across an innovative portfolio to diverse thematic research areas designing and implementing theories of change, supporting the development of MEL frameworks, designing and facilitating reflection spaces, and gathering and analysing qualitative and quantitative data for accountability and learning.

She develops learning and impact stories that provide evidence of how research evidence and engagement activities contribute to research and policy networks, conversations or influence decision makers’ and other key stakeholders’ attitudes and behaviours. Kirthi has been part of the design and facilitation team for the IDS Specialist Short Course, Shaping Policies and Programmes with Evidence.

She is currently MEL lead for Climate Adaptation and Resilience in Tropical Drylands (CLARITY) project, where she is implementing best-fit monitoring, evaluation and learning strategies with a consortium research project under CLARE, a UK-Canada framework research programme on Climate Adaptation and Resilience, involving Niger, Nigeria, Tanzania, and India-based transformation labs working to scale up equitable, sustainable and climate-resilient water pathways. She also facilitates learning and impact for research and practitioner cohorts, for example, as member of the IDS Network Support team for the HeatNexus Heat Adaptation Research cohort supported by Wellcome Trust and as IDS MERL team member for the FCDO-supported Africa Technology and Innovation Partnership (ATIP) Programme.

Kirthi has over 10 years’ experience of working in multicultural settings and across diverse development themes. She is trained in process tracing and Bayesian updating (contribution tracing) and assessing the contribution of knowledge work/research and non-research interventions using theory based methods. She has exposure to other evaluation and learning methods including outcome mapping, sensemaking, and outcome harvesting to track the impact of research and knowledge initiatives, including policy dialogue processes.

Prior to IDS, Kirthi has worked at the International Initiative for Impact Evaluation’s Delhi office promoting evidence use and supporting strategic communication in national and international development projects relating to immunisation, climate change, women’s economic empowerment, urban informal workers, and curbing democratic backsliding. She has also worked in the inclusive finance sector and in inclusive education as a qualitative field researcher, apart from working as a reporter covering policy in India.