Vidya was announced the winner for her innovative work on poverty eradication.
In April 2022, Lucy Cavendish College launched the inaugural Alumni Impact Award for Lucy alumni who have made a significant impact in their field. Alumni must have graduated within the last 10 years and their impact must relate to the UN Sustainable Development Goals.
Our four finalists showcased the positive impact they are making on society with a short video, which was then made public for members of the Lucy Cavendish community to vote.
The winner of the first Alumni Impact award, announced at the Alumni Festival, was Dr Vidya Diwakar (MPhil Economics, 2012) for her commitment to poverty eradication. She received the award together with a £500 prize.
Vidya is a mixed-methods researcher and policy analyst, with over a decade of experience working in think tanks and universities. Her work focuses on gender-disaggregated drivers of poverty escapes, and the role of armed conflict and fragility in creating poverty traps.
Over the last decade, Vidya has sought to make an impact on poverty eradication (SDG 1). She is currently the Deputy Director of the Chronic Poverty Advisory Network (CPAN) hosted at the Institute of Development Studies. CPAN comprises researchers, policymakers, and practitioners focused on getting to zero poverty in 17 low- and middle-income countries.
All finalists
- Dr Vidya Diwakar
- Sauleha Kamal
- Dr Annalisa Occhipinti
- Dr Saumya Saxena
Many congratulations to Vidya and all of those who made it to the final. We were delighted to be able to showcase their work, and we are extremely proud of their continued efforts to make a lasting, positive impact.
Listen to Vidya detailing her impact below.
All finalists' videos can be watched on our YouTube channel.
