Rachel Sabates-Wheeler is a Development Economist and senior research leader with extensive expertise in social protection, poverty and vulnerability, and rural livelihoods.
She is currently Director of Research, Partnerships and Engagement at IDS where she has worked since 2001. Her recent work focuses on advancing conceptual and empirical understandings of risk and vulnerability in fragile and crisis-affected contexts.
She has played a central role in shaping major international research and policy programmes, including long-term engagement with flagship social protection initiatives such as the Productive Safety Net Programme (PSNP) in Ethiopia, the Hunger Safety Net Programme (HSNP) in Kenya, and the Child Support Grant (CSG) in South Africa, alongside work on home-grown school feeding programmes across Africa.
Rachel has recently co-led the five year FCDO-funded Better Assistance in Crises (BASIC) programme, strengthening the evidence base for more effective humanitarian and social protection responses. She also brings senior operational experience from her role as Chief of Social Policy and Research at UNICEF Rwanda.
Her work is widely published and policy-engaged, and she continues to collaborate with major international agencies including FCDO, UNICEF, WFP, FAO and the World Bank, bridging research, policy and practice to improve outcomes for vulnerable populations.
