Raisa Behal Email & Phone Number

Chapel Hill, Nc, Us

Washington D.C. Metro Area

I work with several teams within the World Bank, supporting data and project management activities. I work, or have worked with the Development Economics Research Group, Environment and Natural Resource Practice, Poverty and Equity Global Practice, and the IFC.• Provided technical assistance to projects across various stages of implementation, including constructing M&E tools, adapting existing instruments to project needs in data-poor environments, monitoring project activities, and conducting impact analyses.• Directed data management for large household surveys, including data monitoring, processing, storage, and documentation, thereby ensuring high-quality and accessible data for public use.• Created multi-stage predictive models using supervised machine learning methods to estimate poverty as a Survey of Well-Being via Instant and Frequent Tracking (SWIFT) expert supporting cost-effective tracking for several projects across the World Bank and IFC. • Specialized in customization of each SWIFT model to sample characteristics, data quality, project needs, and political challenges, while ensuring survey efficiency and model robustness and reproducibility. • Adapted and piloted SWIFT to estimate forest-dependence among forest-dwelling communities. Co-authored reports and presented the tool to (non) technical audiences, including national forestry officials, to increase awareness of the value in informing World Bank forestry-related welfare programs and government forest management policies. • Operationalized the PRIME theoretical framework to design smarter prosperity-increasing programs in forest-rich environments by informing project design and program activities, categorizing synergetic investments, and identifying optimal M&E indicators. • Collaborated with implementing partners to ensure alignment with project goals and use of best practice techniques for sampling methodologies, survey design, and data collection.

Washington D.C. Metro Area

•Provided ELI support to the USAID Catalyst team of the Center for Development Innovation (DIV) housed within the Global Development Lab of USAID.•Strengthened data systems and advanced data quality of DIV’s portfolio of grantees and applicants.•Developed and standardized Key Performance Indicators across the innovation portfolio.•Leveraged data analysis to drive learning and strategy adaptation.•Provided technical advisory and field support to DIV grant managers.

Kampala, Uganda

•Contributed to the Vulnerability and Essential Needs Assessment (VENA) of refugees in Uganda to improve humanitarian assistance programs and targeting of vulnerable households.• Designed a predictive econometric model to track poverty fluctuations in refugee settlements in order to improve humanitarian assistance programs and targeting of vulnerable households in partnership with the World Bank.• Provided analytical and advisory support to the WFP MEL team, which focused on translating the results and limitations of model inputs and outputs, to improve accuracy in reporting and improvements in data collection.

Bangalore, India

•Implemented household census and network survey in over 70 rural Karnataka villages, covering 200 households per village, to test the network incentive of spreading financially lucrative information •Managed field team of over 50 surveyors, including daily field planning, reporting, and data quality monitoring•Developed feedback mechanisms between field surveyors, supervisors, and managers to improve monitoring and efficiency•Improved CAPI software, resulting in stricter data quality controls and faster survey processing•Conducted high-frequency data monitoring and data quality checks•Assisted with data cleaning and preliminary analysis

Boston

Research Assistant to the Director of the Global Economic Governance Initiative, Prof. Cornel Ban: collected data on the scope of neo-liberalist and revisionist literature regarding economic reform of post-soviet Eastern EuropeResearch Assistant to economics PhD candidate, Dan Schwab: assisted in the analysis of labor market regulation and its effects on age and gender distributions of labor force in the Indian manufacturing sector

Mumbai, India

• Evaluated and assisted high-impact NGOs in competing for a $50,000 fund of philanthropic donations, contributed and managedby members of Dasra’s Giving Circle• Conducted field visits to evaluate model, scale, and impact of grassroots organizations improving maternal and infant mortality,as part of a $14 million collaboration with USAID and Kiawah Trust to empower adolescent girls• Identified key organizations, stakeholders, and interventions related to improving governance in India for a sector researchreport, funded by Omidyar Network to increase awareness and funding for the sector• Assisted in orientation of 33 Vodafone employees, volunteering at NGOs as part of the Vodafone World of a Difference program• Supported Dasra’s Philanthropy Week- a unique national event uniting government, public and corporate stakeholders todiscuss and collaborate on development goals and strategy

Mumbai, India

Designed, created, and administrated community centric microsite PS Life. Conducted business analytics and administered community marketing campaigns.Developed & recommended customer retention programs to senior management.

Project One: Risk Mining Project -Researched and reported weekly on risks for fixed-income investments-Created gold data and explored predictive analytics for fixed-income investment risks using machine learningProject Two: Food Crisis Project-Completed and presented project on predicting food price movements-Conducted experiments with Reuters news data using text mining and time series analysis-Implemented a data extraction system and various research tools in Java

Project: Home Equity Loans Model Development-Worked closely with quantitative analyst in documentation phase of model development-Completed individual project analyzing housing prices as a variable for estimating losses-Presented findings to Credit Risk Leadership Team which helped increase knowledge of the House Price Index as a possible macrovariable in the development of a new model

Developed cement-industry specific life cycle assessment for firm's consulting purposes Compiled report on measures to achieve technological efficiency in the cement-industry

Reported on concurrent indian drought and its impact on local agriculture Disseminated alerts on Indian meteorological department’s rainfall projections to generate awarenessAssisted Greenpeace campaigns on Climate Change

Master Of Global Development Economics, Development Economics And International Development

Activities and Societies: Development Reading Group, Institute for Economic Development The Masters in Global Development Economics.

Bachelor Of Arts, Economics, Environmental Studies

Sciences With Math