Lauren M. Phillips is a political economist and currently Deputy Director for the Inclusive Rural Transformation and Gender Equality Division at the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO). Prior to joining FAO in 2021, she worked in a variety of policy, strategy and advisory roles at International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) from 2015–2021. Lauren has also worked in academia, think tanks and the private sector. She holds a PhD in international political economy from the London School of Economics and Political Science, and master and bachelor degrees from Stanford University.