William is Associate Professor in the Department of Social Policy and Intervention and a Fellow of Reuben College at the University of Oxford, and an Honorary Research Affiliate at the University of Cape Town’s Centre for Social Science Research.
His research focuses on identifying cost-effective combinations of social, health, and climate-responsive interventions to improve child and adolescent wellbeing across Africa. He applies a life-course empowerment framework that integrates individual capabilities and the structures that shape them over time, taking a holistic approach to education, health, child protection, and skills. His methodological expertise includes quantitative causal inference, multilevel modelling, and simulation-based economic decision modelling to inform policy and investment decisions.
William is currently co-Principal Investigator on a Gates Foundation-funded project that uses economic and health impact modelling to assess the effects of girls’ empowerment interventions on child marriage, adolescent pregnancy, and education. He collaborates closely with UNICEF and Save the Children on research exploring children’s vulnerability and resilience to climate-related hazards. This ongoing partnership focuses on integrating social survey and satellite data to support evidence-based decision-making in this field.
Passionate about teaching, William lectures on structural interventions, the social determinants of health, and validity and bias in quantitative research.
