Dr. Leyla Karimli’s interdisciplinary applied research critically investigates the impact of poverty reduction interventions on the psychosocial well-being of vulnerable children and families in Sub-Saharan Africa and Central Asia. Her work underscores the often-overlooked role of local social structures and illuminates the multidimensional nature of poverty. Through rigorous multilevel, longitudinal experimental and quasi-experimental studies, Dr. Karimli examines how economic interventions—such as ultra-poor graduation programs, asset-building initiatives, and livelihood supports—can lead to improved outcomes for women, children, and adolescents.
A central theme in her research is that poverty is not solely a matter of income, but a complex condition shaped by family dynamics, social norms, and psychosocial vulnerability. Her work reveals that sustainable improvements in child and family well-being require addressing not only economic hardship but also the relational, educational, and health-related dimensions of deprivation. Her integrated, multi-dimensional approach to poverty alleviation offers critical insights for the design of more effective programs and policies aimed at improving child and family wellbeing in resource-constrained settings.
Dr. Karimli received her PhD from Columbia University’s School of Social Work with a concentration in social policy and social welfare. She completed her postdoctoral training at the University of Chicago’s School of Social Service Administration and New York University’s Silver School of Social Work’s McSilver Institute for Poverty Policy and Research. Prior to her academic career, Dr. Karimli actively contributed to community-based empowerment and poverty reduction initiatives by working within development agencies in the former Soviet Union and Sub-Saharan Africa.
Dr. Karimli is a faculty affiliate at Luskin’s Global Public Affairs, the Global Lab for Research in Action, the International Center on Child Health and Asset Development (ICHAD), and UCLA’s California Center for Population Research (CCPR).
