Daphne Francois is a dual-career PhD fellow at UNU-MERIT and Maastricht University.
Daphne holds a Master’s degree in Public Policy and Human Development from Maastricht University/UNU-MERIT. With over 12 years of professional experience, she has worked for organizations like UNICEF, the ILO, and UNU-MERIT, focusing on social protection and public finance. Her expertise bridges the humanitarian-development nexus, and her geographical focus has been on Eastern and Southern Africa, East and Central Asia, the Eastern Caribbean, and Eastern Europe. Daphne is passionate about connecting research to practice. Her academic and professional interests lie in social policy, climate change adaptation, fragility, and the intended and unintended consequences of development aid.