Stephanie Buell is a development practitioner focusing on the operationalisation of research on ODI’s Politics and Governance Team. Drawing on her significant programme implementation experience in emergency response (Nepal, Lebanon, Mali, Ethiopia, Mediterranean Search and Rescue, and Yemen) and governance programming in Francophone West Africa, Stephanie is particularly interested in the ways in which actors apply evidence and learning to their decision-making, in the pursuit of more effective and sustainable programme outcomes.
Stephanie joined ODI in 2017 to manage the Secure Livelihoods Research Consortium (SLRC), ODI’s largest and longest-running conflict research programme which investigates the ways in which people make a living, access services, and perceive the state in context affected by fragility in conflict. Leading on SLRC’s research uptake work, Stephanie developed a particular focus on better integration of research and evidence into programme design and policy-making, eventually becoming the first Research Fellow at ODI specialising on the more practical/implementation side of policy and practice.
Today, Stephanie plays an advisory role on a number of programmes, including in the adaptive management space, while continuing to use her practitioner experience to help ‘translate’ research findings into practical guidance and recommendations that donors and organisations can use in their programming. Stephanie holds a BA in politics from New York University (NYU) and a MSc in humanitarian emergencies and international development from the London School of Economics (LSE), and is a bilingual French/English speaker.
