Laura Ballerini is pursuing a DPhil in International Development at the University of Oxford as a Clarendon Scholar. Her research focuses on social entrepreneurship, global health, and African politics and history. Her DPhil project examines the growing role of social enterprises in development and health projects in sub-Saharan Africa, particularly in Kenya. Using a mixed-methods approach, she combines ethnographic fieldwork, qualitative interviews, quantitative surveys, and archival research.

Prior to her DPhil, Laura completed the MPhil in Development Studies at the University of Oxford, where she was awarded the ‘Eugene Havas Memorial Prize’ for best overall performance. She also holds a BSc in Philosophy, Politics, and Economics from the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, where her thesis won the Faculty of Humanities’ best thesis prize and was later published as an academic article.

Throughout her studies, Laura has worked with various organisations in different capacities, including as a project coordinator at UN agencies, a data analyst for African data-focused NGOs, a reporter for multiple news outlets, and a research assistant at the University of Oxford.

Ballerini, L. and Bergh, S.I. 2021. Using Citizen Science Data to Monitor the Sustainable Development Goals: A Bottom-up Analysis. Sustainability Science, 16, 1945-1962. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11625-021-01001-1