Profiles

Benjamin Blevins is an education researcher with the UNICEF Office of Research – Innocenti where he focuses on supporting regional learning assessments. He has extensive experience in quantitative research including data analysis, research design, and data collection. Prior to joining UNICEF –Innocenti, he supported education research initiatives for both UNICEF and INGOs in east Africa, including Somalia and Kenya. For three years he worked as the Country Director of an American NGO in West Africa, providing implementation services for the UN and international aid agencies in the fields of food security and education in both development and emergency contexts. For two years he served with the US Peace Corps in South America, providing instruction for both education and agricultural projects. He is an education economist by training, holding a Ph.D. and MS from Hiroshima University, where he wrote his Ph.D. thesis on applied econometrics for education research in Asian and African contexts. He also holds an MSc(Econ) in International Relations from the University of Wales, Aberystwyth and a BA in Women’s Studies from Arizona State University.