Just Dengerink is an independent food systems consultant based in Amsterdam, the Netherlands. He supports development organisations to build capacity on the food systems approach and to apply its key principles in their work. Before becoming an independent consultant, Just worked for five years for Wageningen University & Research (WUR), the Netherlands, as an advisor in sustainable value chain development, carrying out food systems analyses and conducting impact evaluations of sustainable agriculture programmes in Africa, Asia, and Latin America. Just holds an MSc in Sustainable Development from Utrecht University and an MSc in International Relations from the University of Amsterdam.
Marijn Faling is a Research Fellow in Partnerships and Inclusive Development. She works with the Partnerships Resource Centre (PrC), a research centre focused on bridging science and practice, based at the Rotterdam School of Management, Erasmus University in the Netherlands. Marijn works with firms, non-governmental organisations, and governments to support interventions and policy processes through Action Research. She is interested in (systemic) change processes to address pressing societal challenges, including poverty, climate change, and food insecurity. She works with rigorous qualitative methods including process tracing and systematic literature reviewing. She has a background in political science and international development studies and holds a PhD from WUR.
Gordon Freer is a part-time lecturer in international relations at the University of the Witwatersrand, South Africa. He has over 20 years of international experience in monitoring, evaluation, and research of developmental projects, including those focused on private sector development, fragile and conflict-affected areas, and climate resilience. Gordon presents regularly at international conferences. He has a specific interest in theory‑based evaluations and has published in this area.
Edward Hedley is a Principal Consultant and Evaluation Director at Itad. He has over 14 years’ experience in evaluating international development programmes and he specialises in the areas of impact investing, value chain development, and market systems strengthening. In his work he deploys a range of approaches including theory-based evaluation designs and mixed methods. He worked closely with Gordon Freer to design and implement the evaluation of the Samarth-Nepal Market Development Programme (Samarth-NMDP), which drew on an adapted form of contribution analysis to capture the complexity of change at different levels of the market system.
Andrew Koleros is a Senior Researcher at Mathematica in the United States, with expertise in designing and delivering mixed-methods evaluations and programme monitoring, evaluation, and learning systems. He brings particular expertise in using theory-based approaches that integrate complexity concepts and systems thinking into programme and evaluation design processes. Andrew has also supported multiple teams in designing strategy-level theories of change to inform their monitoring, evaluation, and learning initiatives. He has published on his work in designing theory-based evaluation approaches in the American Journal of Evaluation, the Canadian Journal of Program Evaluation, and in multiple practitioner settings.
Jake Lomax is Director of 3sd Research. As well as undertaking consulting work for clients which include the World Bank, Stockholm Environment Institute, Itad, and NIRAS-LTS International, 3sd Research produces practitioner-oriented processes and tools for mapping systems, analysing conflict, designing strategies for systemic change, and evaluating systemic change programmes. Jake is also a Senior Associate at Tandem and a Senior Associate at Springfield Centre. He has a PhD in International Development and an MSc in Research Methods for International Development, both from the University of East Anglia, and a BSc in Management from the University of St Andrews.
Haki Pamuk is a development economist and impact researcher at Wageningen Economic Research, within WUR. His research focuses on technology adoption, finance, community-based organisations, and private sector development in developing countries and their food systems. He has managed field research in Tanzania, Kenya, Bangladesh, and Burundi. Haki joined Wageningen Economic Research in September 2017, and previously held a position as postdoctoral researcher in the Development Economics Group at WUR. Haki received his MA and PhD degrees in Economics from Tilburg University, the Netherlands. His research has been published in peer-reviewed journals such as Journal of Development Economics, Food Policy, Journal of Development Studies, and Journal of African Economies.
Fédes van Rijn is a Senior Researcher at WUR. Her educational background lies in business administration and development economics. She obtained her PhD on the topic of agricultural extension, social capital, and impact assessment from WUR in 2014. Fédes’ research interests relate to agricultural research and development, private sector support, and sustainability standards in tropical value chains. She specialises in the design and implementation of evaluations that meet scientific standards while at the same time maximise learning. She has extensive experience in field research and stakeholder consultation in multicultural and multi-stakeholder settings.
Greetje Schouten is a Senior Research Fellow at the PrC, based at the Rotterdam School of Management, Erasmus University, the Netherlands. Through her research, she aims to contribute to a deeper understanding of the role of business – in collaboration with governments and/or civil society – in the area of sustainable and inclusive food and agriculture, especially in the context of low- and middle-income countries. Most of the research projects she is involved in have an Action Research component. Before joining the PrC, Greetje worked as a postdoctoral researcher at WUR.
Ben Taylor is chief executive officer of Agora Global and is an expert in systemic approaches to development. He has played a leading role in the conceptualisation, codification, and implementation of market systems development globally. He focuses on overcoming challenges in the implementation of the approach to new development objectives such as health or education, new contexts such as refugee camps, or new methodologies including the measurement of impact and evaluation. He has extensive experience in programme and intervention design, monitoring and evaluation, and technical advisory services. He currently holds academic positions on the boards of several journals, guest lectureships, and a Senior Research Fellowship at Durham University.
Jodie Thorpe is a Research Fellow in the Business, Markets and the State Cluster at the Institute of Development Studies (IDS), University of Sussex, UK. Her work explores the relationships between market actors, and between the market and the state, to understand what drives business investment that is more or less inclusive. She is interested in the governance processes and institutional structures that mediate these interactions, including more deliberative and democratic economic arrangements. Prior to joining IDS, she worked as a Private Sector Adviser at Oxfam GB and a Director at SustainAbility, a leading global consultancy on business risks and opportunities from sustainable development.
Giel Ton is a Research Fellow at IDS, University of Sussex, and Director of the Centre for Development Impact (CDI). He specialises in the design of mixed-methods impact evaluations in private sector development programmes. He promotes contribution analysis as an overarching approach of theory-based evaluation and a stepwise process to identify the hotspots where additional data collection and reflection are needed. He has a special interest in the effectiveness of programmes that aim to improve governance and coordination in agricultural value chains and empower smallholder farmers in collective action.
Sietze Vellema is Associate Professor in the Knowledge, Technology and Innovation group at WUR. He leads Action Research with the 2SCALE programme at the PrC, based at the Rotterdam School of Management and is a Research Fellow at the Centre for Frugal Innovation, both at the Erasmus University, the Netherlands. Sietze is editor-in-chief of the interdisciplinary journal NJAS: Impact in Agricultural and Life Sciences. He is involved in integrative studies that aim to understand why and how different actors collaborate in solving organisational, managerial, and technical problems related to inclusive development and sustainable food provision, based on (Action) Research in Africa and Southeast Asia.