GSDRC’s researchers synthesise the latest evidence and expert thinking on governance, social development, humanitarian and conflict issues to inform policy and practice. They produce Topic Guides, Literature Reviews, Conflict Analyses and rapid-response Helpdesk Research Reports for a range of agencies, and undertake consultancy projects.
Rachel M. Gisselquist
Rachel is Professor in Governance and Development, and Director of the GSDRC. Prior to joining the University of Birmingham in September 2024, she was a Senior Research Fellow with the United Nations University, World Institute for Development Economics Research (UNU-WIDER) in Helsinki. She is a political scientist (PhD, MIT) with two decades of experience in academia, applied policy research, and the leadership of international research projects. Her work focuses on issues of state capacity, aid and development cooperation, governance and democracy, inequality, and ethnic and identity politics. She has published 30+ articles and chapters and 2 edited books (with 2 forthcoming) and over a dozen journal special issues and sections in well-regarded academic outlets such as World Development and the Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies. In 2007-09, she co-authored the first two editions of the Ibrahim Index of African Governance, which has become a standard reference on governance.
Email: r.m.gisselquist@bham.ac.uk. See also: University of Birmingham staff profile
Zenobia Ismail
Zenobia specialises in studying institutions, party politics and elections. She has prior experience as a researcher at the Centre for Social Development in Africa at the University of Johannesburg, the Afrobarometer research programme based at Idasa, and the Community Agency for Social Enquiry, and also a lecturer at the School of Economic and Business Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand.
Email: z.ismail
bham.ac.uk See also: University of Birmingham staff profile
William Avis
William joined GSDRC at the University of Birmingham in 2015 from the Overseas Development Institute. He spent four years with ODI in various research roles, most recently with the growth, poverty and inequality team. Among his publications are The data revolution: finding the missing millions and Towards a better life? A cautionary tale of progress in Ahmedabad. William’s research interests include identity and conflict, globalisation and political voice. His PhD examined constructions of Assamese identity in post-independence India (University of Sheffield).
Email: W.R.Avis
bham.ac.uk
Siân Herbert
Siân Herbert joined the GSDRC in 2013, previously working at the Overseas Development Institute (ODI) and Open Europe. Her work focuses on conflict, violence, and resilience analysis; gender; inequality; and the politics of aid, security, state-building and peacebuilding policies. She is a political scientist and international relations graduate of the FLACSO Argentina and University of San Andrés (Masters), and the University of Southampton (BSc Hons).
Email: S.Herbertbham.ac.uk
Iffat Idris
Iffat joined GSDRC at the University of Birmingham in 2016, having spent 10 years as an independent consultant for international development organisations, including the UN System and the World Bank. Iffat lived in Pakistan for fourteen years, where her work focused on governance, disaster management, conflict analysis and capacity development. She promotes the right to information as co-chair of the South Asia Transparency Advisory Group. Iffat holds a PhD in political science from the University of Hull; her thesis on ethnic conflict in Kashmir was published by Oxford University Press.
Email: i.idrisbham.ac.uk
