Faculty and Researchers

Anastasia Marshak Senior Researcher
Click here to read Anastasia’s Young Scholar Profile.
Anastasia Marshak’s research at Feinstein focuses on programmatic impact and the causes of malnutrition in eastern Chad and the Darfur region of Sudan. She also supports research in northern Uganda, where she is analyzing the long-term impact of conflict on livelihoods and access to services. Her previous experience at Feinstein includes evaluations of youth violence in Karamoja and the role of microfinance in supporting the livelihoods of internally displaced persons in Uganda.
Anastasia brings expertise in quantitative analysis, research design, and nutrition to Feinstein. Prior to joining Feinstein, Anastasia worked for the MIT Poverty Action Lab and the World Bank in Sierra Leone.
She holds a B.S. in quantitative economics and international relations from Tufts University and an M.A. in economics from Boston University. She holds a Ph.D. from the Friedman School of Nutrition in the Food Policy and Nutrition program, with a focus on humanitarian assistance.
- Stites, Elizabeth and Anastasia Marshak. “Who are the Lonetia? Findings from southern Karamoja, Uganda.” The Journal of Modern African Studies 54 (2016). 237-262.
- Sabarwal, Shwetlena, David K. Evans, and Anastasia Marshak. “The permanent input hypothesis: the case of textbooks and (no) student learning in Sierra Leone.” World Bank (September 2014). Policy Research working paper.
- Jacobsen, Karen, Anastasia Marshak, Akua Ofori-Adjei, and Jane Kembabazi. “Using Microenterprise Interventions to Support the Livelihoods of Forcibly Displaced People: The Impact of a Microcredit Program in IDP Camps in Lira, Northern Uganda.” Refugee Survey Quarterly 25, 2 (2006). 23-39.
News Items
Feinstein faculty and researchers publish three articles in Field Exchange
Feinstein International Center faculty and researchers published three articles in May issue of the Field Exchange. Click here to download the full issue. Merry Fitzpatrick et al’s article, “Kwashiorkor –…
Read MoreAnastasia Marshak et al publish about seasonality of malnutrition in the IJER
Anastasia Marshak, Aishwarya Venkat, Helen Young, and Elena Naumova published “How Seasonality of Malnutrition Is Measured and Analyzed” in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. This article…
Read MoreFeinstein Research Projects
Research and Capacity-building Support to the Nawiri Project
Nawiri is evidence-based development project to address acute malnutrition in northern Kenya. Catholic Relief Services leads a consortium in Isiolo and Marsabit counties and Feinstein provides research and capacity-building support.
Read MoreChild Marriage in Humanitarian Settings
In 2015, more than 190 countries committed to end child marriage by 2030 as part of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). These projects seek to develop better evidence to inform policy, programs, and advocacy to address child marriage in humanitarian contexts.
Read MoreFeinstein Publications
Climatic variability and disasters in Kenya’s arid and semi-arid lands (Nawiri desk study)

This desk study provides an overview of the patterns and variability in climate, conflict, disasters, and nutrition outcomes using secondary data for Marsabit and Isiolo counties in northern Kenya.
Read MoreDrivers of malnutrition in the Kenyan arid and semi-arid lands (Nawiri desk study)

The review confirms that acute malnutrition is a problem in the Kenya ASALs, and that most of the drivers are under-studied, and yet several specific assumptions permeate the literature and recommendations.
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