Lisa de Ràfols is an MPP candidate at the Yale Jackson School of Global Affairs. She studies the intersection of development and diplomacy, with a focus on peacebuilding and devising development policy that is built to withstand conflict, corruption, and the influence of violent non-state actors.

Prior to Yale, Lisa spent three years at MIT’s Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab (J-PAL), where she promoted evidence-informed policymaking and helped forge global partnerships to alleviate poverty. She specialized in governance, political economy, and social protection, as well as strategic communications. Before that, Lisa served as a Fulbright Scholar in Colombia and worked on state and federal policy for the City of Los Angeles. She also worked on a political campaign in her home state of Nevada.

Lisa graduated magna cum laude from the University of Southern California with degrees in economics and international relations and a minor in French. Her thesis uncovered the contradictory effects of international laws intended to cope with climate migration. She is fluent in French, Spanish, and Russian.