Tokyo and Helsinki, 8 August 2025 — The United Nations University (UNU) is pleased to announce the appointment of Professor Patricia Justino as the next Director of the UNU World Institute for Development Economics Research (UNU-WIDER) in Helsinki, Finland. She will begin her term on 1 May 2026.
“I’m deeply honoured to be appointed as the next Director of UNU-WIDER. It is a privilege to lead an institution with such a rich legacy of expanding the boundaries of development economics. As we confront rising inequality, fractured trust and fragile institutions, the need for wider thinking — rooted in evidence and connected to action — has never been greater. I’m committed to keeping UNU-WIDER at the forefront of global efforts to understand and transform development.”
A Portuguese national and internationally respected development economist, Prof. Justino brings over two decades of experience conducting policy-relevant research on inequality, governance and inclusive development. She is the first woman appointed to lead UNU-WIDER, having previously served as the Institute’s Deputy Director, where she helped shape strategic direction and deepen global partnerships.
Prof. Justino’s research explores how political violence, institutional change and social policy affect long-term development outcomes. She has worked extensively on post-conflict recovery, trust in public institutions and inclusive economic systems — issues central to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals. Her work is deeply rooted in field-based evidence and has informed policy debates in multiple regions, particularly across Africa, Latin America and conflict-affected settings.
At UNU-WIDER, she has led initiatives that strengthened the Institute’s country programmes, built closer collaboration with UN agencies and expanded its global research network. Her recent work offers concrete insights on governance and trust-building in post-conflict societies, the redistributive potential of social protection, and pathways to inclusive recovery.
Prof. Justino has published in leading academic journals — including the Journal of Development Economics, World Bank Economic Review and the Journal of Peace Research — but her impact reaches well beyond academia. Her research has shaped strategies and programming at institutions such as the World Bank, FAO, UNESCO, USAID and the European Commission. She is also co-founder of the Households in Conflict Network, which has connected field researchers across the global South and North.
Prof. Justino holds an MPhil in Economics from the University of Cambridge and a PhD from the University of London. In addition to her role at UNU-WIDER, she is currently a Professorial Fellow (on leave) at the Institute of Development Studies in the UK and has held visiting positions at the European University Institute and Harvard University.
UNU Rector and UN Under-Secretary-General Prof. Tshilidzi Marwala welcomed the appointment: “Professor Justino brings an extraordinary depth of experience and a future-facing vision that aligns perfectly with UNU-WIDER’s mission to generate and share knowledge for a more equitable, peaceful and sustainable world."
UNU-WIDER Board Chair Dr. Martha Chen commented: “Professor Justino's expertise bridges economics and political science to bring a unique political economy perspective to key development challenges — poverty and inequality, conflict and trust-building. Importantly, she commands respect outside UNU-WIDER for her expertise and ability to build partnerships, and within UNU-WIDER for her management skills and ability to lead research teams”.
Media contacts
Annett Victorero
Head of Knowledge Mobilization Unit, UNU-WIDER
annett@wider.unu.edu
Kyra Bowman
Head of Communications, UNU
bowman@unu.edu
