Varna Sri Raman

Varna is a development economist with over two decades of experience in research, evaluation, and policy advisory across South Asia. She holds a PhD in Development Studies from the Tata Institute of Social Sciences, with training in public policy and law focused on social justice. Her work spans gender and women’s empowerment, public health, education and early learning, livelihoods, climate resilience, and air quality.

She has held research leadership roles at the American India Foundation, Evidence Action, BBC Media Action, Sesame Workshop India, and Verian (formerly Kantar Public), and has advised the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, GAIN, Oxfam India, and the India Health and Climate Resilience Fund.

She maintains open-source tools for MEL practitioners, including EquityStack and FieldStack, and co-founded ImpactMojo, a development education platform used by over 5,000 practitioners monthly. She is completing The Measurement Trap, a history of welfare measurement in India, and is a 2025 Dr Manmohan Singh Fellow and Terra.do Studio Climate Fellow.