The Natural Resources Institute (NRI) at the University of Greenwich welcomes Professor Vegard Iversen as the new Head of its Livelihoods and Institutions Department.
An applied micro development economist with a PhD from the University of Cambridge, Vegard’s research spans a rich thematic canvas with ongoing collaborations focusing on: the colonial origins of agricultural development in India, women’s political representation and its impact on governance, the impacts of large dams on agricultural productivity, vulnerability and poverty, and social mobility in the Global South.
Professor Andrew Westby, Director of NRI, said, “I am delighted that we have been able to make such a strong appointment for the position of Head of NRI’s Livelihoods and Institutions Department. I am confident that Vegard Iversen’s contribution will help to ensure the excellence and impact of the work of the Department and NRI as a whole.
“Professor John Morton has been an excellent leader of the Department for eight years and I would like to thank him for his very significant contributions. John will be focussing on his research in the Institute.”
Vegard returns to UK academia after twelve years in India, where he was based mainly in Delhi; during the last year he was Professor in the Economics Area at the Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad (IIMA). Vegard has also been a Professor and Vice Dean at the Jindal School of Government and Public Policy, India, an Adjunct Professor at Sanford School of Public Policy at Duke, a Research Fellow at the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI), and a Lecturer and Co-Director of the MA in Development Economics at the School of Development Studies (now International Development) at the University of East Anglia, UK. Vegard is the Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of South Asian Development and serves on the Editorial Board of the Journal of Development Studies. He has been an Honorary Senior Research Fellow at the Global Development at the University of Manchester, UK, since 2008.
Professor Vegard Iversen said, “I am very pleased to return to UK academia and am looking forward to my new role at the Natural Resources Institute. I hope to use my skills and experience to add further momentum to the Livelihoods and Institutions Department and I look forward to working with knowledgeable and interesting colleagues in contributing to NRI’s rapid ongoing progress.”
For more information please contact Inderjit Dhooper at NRI