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NORC at the University Chicago

Gabriela Alcaraz Velasco

Pronouns: She/Her

Senior Research Director
International Programs
Gabriela manages research on a variety of international development topics and has expertise in the fields of agriculture and food security.

Gabriela is the research director for the Research Technical Assistance Center (RTAC), a project awarded to NORC in 2018 by the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID). RTAC comprises a global network of academic researchers who will provide rapid-response, on-demand expertise to help USAID continue to make evidence-based decisions and improve global programming.

Gabriela has extensive experience in both quantitative and qualitative research of food security, agricultural markets, market-based humanitarian food assistance, gender inequality, poverty reduction, public spending, and development policy across the globe. Most recently she worked for the Famine Early Warning System Network, a USAID initiative implemented in more than 30 countries in Africa, Latin America, and the Middle East, and a leading provider of information and analysis on food insecurity. As a senior markets and trade analyst she conducted research and analysis; provided technical support to home, regional, and field offices; and coordinated research activities in several countries.

Gabriela has also served as a consultant for various international organizations, including the Institute of Development Studies at the University of Sussex, the International Food Policy Research Institute, Oxfam America, and Oxfam Great Britain, where she also worked as a regional research coordinator for Latin America and the Caribbean.

Project Contributions

Research Technical Assistance Center

Leveraging expertise of academic institutions worldwide to inform USAID’s policies and programming

Client:

U.S. Agency for International Development

Publications

Research Library & Findings