Shruthi Manivannan is a Research Assistant at UNU-MERIT and Maastricht University.
Her research lies in the intersection of social protection and poverty alleviation. She particularly focuses on evidence-based policy making and inclusive sustainable development in the Global South. Her current research focuses on qualitative and quantitative evaluations of cash+ projects for maternal and child healthcare in Afghanistan by UNICEF.
Shruthi is a graduate of the Masters in Public Policy and Human Development program at UNU-MERIT, specialising in Social Protection. Her final dissertation focused on testing the boundaries of Generative AI in the context of image analysis and multidimensional poverty. She also holds an MSc in Social Development in Practice from UCL and BA Hons in History from the University of Oxford.