ODI is Britain's leading independent think tank on international development and humanitarian issues.

Humanitarian Policy Group logoThe team

Staff profiles and contact details

The Humanitarian Policy Group (HPG) is one of the world's leading teams of independent researchers and information professionals working on humanitarian issues.

To find out more about a team member, click on their name below.

Head of Programme

Sara Pantuliano

Sara Pantuliano Head of HPG

Full list of HPG staff

Sarah Bailey

Sarah Bailey Research Officer

  • Sarah has a background in humanitarian studies, emergency programme management, and development economics. Her recent and current research includes livelihoods and resilience, cash transfers, early recovery, social protection and corruption in humanitarian and fragile contexts.

Jennifer Benson

Jennifer Benson Programme Officer

Tania Cheung

Tania Cheung HPG Communications Assistant

Samir Elhawary

Samir Elhawary Research Fellow

  • Samir is currently researching the evolving role of humanitarian action in conflict-affected emergencies, with a particular focus on the interface between humanitarianism and politics. He also works on land and displacement issues.

Wendy Fenton

Wendy Fenton HPN Coordinator

Matthew Foley

Matthew Foley HPG Managing Editor

  • Experienced in professional publishing in the research sector. Responsibilities include the production of all HPG publications, including HPN publications, HPG Reports and Briefing Papers.

Christine Harmer

Christine Harmer Communications Officer

  • Chris has a background in journalism and media relations for international news and humanitarian organisations including the BBC World Service, UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, the Medical Foundation and a range of human rights organisations. She studied international relations at the LSE and international humanitarian law at King’s College where she gained a Master’s in International Peace & Security.

Clara Hawkshaw

Clara Hawkshaw PA to Head of HPG / Programme Administrator

Simone Haysom

Simone Haysom Research Officer

  • Simone Haysom's duties as a Research Officer are mainly related to the department's Resilience and Civil-Military Coordination projects. Simone has a background in researching the role of local institutions in facilitating urban service delivery in South Africa.

Francesca Iannini

Francesca Iannini Programme Manager

Ashley Jackson

Ashley Jackson Research Fellow

  • Ashley Jackson recently joined the Humanitarian Policy Group as a Research Fellow. She has substantial emergency and humanitarian program and policy experience, including work in disaster, conflict and post-conflict situations including Afghanistan and Southeast Asia. Her current research focuses on humanitarian principles and negotiations.

Simon Levine

Simon Levine Research Fellow

Ellen Martin

Ellen Martin Research Officer

Victoria Metcalfe

Victoria Metcalfe Research Fellow

  • Vicki has substantial operational and policy experience working on protection of civilians in conflict and natural disaster settings. Her current research includes displacement in the urban context and the engagement of military actors in humanitarian responses.

Sara Pantuliano

Sara Pantuliano Head of HPG

David White

David White Database and Membership Officer

HPG Research Associates

Margie Buchanan-Smith

Margie Buchanan-Smith Senior Research Associate

  • Margie is a Senior Research Associate based in London who has been involved in the humanitarian aid sector for over 20 years. Her current focus is Sudan, especially Darfur, where she first worked in the late 1980s, specialising in policy and practice, livelihoods and evaluations. She is also currently a Visiting Fellow at the Feinstein International Center team at Tufts University.

Sarah Collinson

Research Associate

Adele Harmer

Adele Harmer Research Associate

  • Adele is a Humanitarian Policy Group Research Associate based in Kampala, Uganda and a partner with Humanitarian Outcomes. Her work has focused on humanitarian financing and institutional reform, and security of aid operations. She has previously worked for the Australian Government’s international aid agency (AusAID) and with the Australian Defence Force as a civilian peace monitor.

Paul Harvey

Paul Harvey Research Associate

  • Paul Harvey is a Research Associate with HPG and a partner with Humanitarian Outcomes. Recent work has included reports on the role of state, cash based responses, remittances and dependency in humanitarian aid, a review of the state of the humanitarian system for ALNAP and an evaluation of WFP’s livelihoods recovery programming. Prior to joining ODI he worked for various NGOs as an emergency manager, including longer postings in Somalia, Sierra Leone and Kosovo.

Kate Mackintosh

Research Associate

  • Kate Mackintosh is a Research Associate with HPG nd a consultant in Internatinal Humanitarian Law, Policy and Practice. An international Lawyer by training, Kate has worked in human rights and international justice as well as in humanitarian policy and advocacy, most recently as Head of Humanitarian Affairs at Medecins sans Frontieres.