Firdous Khan

Firdous Khan is a Senior Research Manager at J-PAL Africa, where she manages the research portfolio of the Water, Air, and Energy (WAE) Lab, a collaboration between J-PAL Africa and the City of Cape Town. She works with researchers and government partners to co-develop and implement policy-relevant research across water, sanitation, waste management, energy, and urban infrastructure, focusing on randomized evaluations, administrative data, and evidence-informed decision-making.

Prior to joining J-PAL in 2026, Firdous brings over 18 years of experience in research leadership, impact evaluation, and monitoring, evaluation, research, and learning (MERL) across academia and the public, private, and nonprofit sectors. Her expertise includes designing and managing research and evaluation, strengthening evidence systems, and translating research into policy and practice through stakeholder partnerships. She previously served as MERL Manager at the Early Learning Resource Unit, Director of Efficacy and Research at Pearson South Africa, and Research Specialist at the Human Sciences Research Council.

Firdous holds a PhD in biotechnology and bioinformatics and an MSc in bioinformatics from the University of the Western Cape, completed through the South African National Bioinformatics Institute. She also holds a BSc (Honours) in nanotechnology and a BSc in biotechnology from the University of the Western Cape.