I am a Research Fellow in the Poverty, Health and Nutrition division at the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI).  Previously, I served as an assistant professor of economics at American University (2017-2019) and at Williams College (2013-2017).

Follow me on X-formerly-twitter! @leightjessica

​Contact: j.leight@cgiar.org
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I received my PhD in Economics from MIT in 2013 and previously received a MPhil with Distinction in Economics at Oxford University as a Rhodes Scholar in 2008 and a B.A., summa cum laude and phi beta kappa, in Ethics, Politics and Economics from Yale University in 2006.

My research agenda focuses on questions of human capital accumulation for women and girls as well as agricultural institutions and structural transformation, and has been funded by the Macarthur Foundation, the Fondation de France, USAID, the Department of Labor, and a number of other donors.  I have conducted or am actively conducting fieldwork in Nigeria, Ethiopia, Bangladesh, India, Kenya, Burkina Faso, and Mozambique.


Updated August 2023

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