Lauren is the Manager of the Bristol Poverty Institute (BPI), one of the University's Specialist Research Institutes. She leads on strategic and operational management of all aspects of BPI activity including communication and engagement strategies, promoting and supporting interdisciplinary working within and beyond the University, designing and overseeing strategic activities, and delivering reporting and analysis. Through her work Lauren aims to cement the University's position as a global centre of research excellence on the causes, effects, and measurements of poverty. This will increase its potential for impact on policy and practice, driven by the ultimate aim of reducing the extent and severity of poverty at all scales from the local to the global. This role is part-time (Weds-Fri).

Alongside her BPI role, Lauren is also the International Research Development (IRD) Manager in the Division for Research, Enterprise and Innovation. This role involves leading a portfolio of international research development activities, reviewing strategic approaches to research development, designing and overseeing delivery of funding schemes, and building collaborations within and beyond the University to enhance its global reputation and impact. 

Prior to joining the University Lauren was a Senior International Policy Manager at the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC), where she managed large interdisciplinary ODA programmes in collaboration with a range of national and international funding partners including DFID, SIDA, and NWO. Lauren has a strong interdisciplinary research background, with a degree in Human Sciences from the University of Oxford, a Masters in African Archaeology from UCL, and a PhD in Archaeology and Anthropology from the University of Bristol. Her academic and professional career has focussed on the intersections between society, culture, and environment.