Rachael McDonnell
Deputy Director General for Research for Development at IWMI
Dr Rachael McDonnell is the Deputy Director General for Research for Development at the International Water Management Institute (IWMI), where she oversees the research and innovation activities of more than 250 scientists across programmes in Asia, Africa, and Latin America and the Caribbean.
Prior to this role, she served as Strategic Program Director for Water, Climate Change and Resilience and is a specialist in drought risk science and management. She has led teams in the development of early warning systems, as well as solutions for recovery and drought resilience building, working with partners ranging from NASA and government agencies to local community groups.
Before joining IWMI, Dr McDonnell was Head of Climate Change Modelling and Adaptation at the International Centre for Biosaline Agriculture in Dubai. She previously held several academic positions at the University of Oxford, where she completed her doctorate in advanced water modelling. She was also the founding Director of the MSc in Water Science, Policy and Management at Oxford.
Rachael is a keen photographer and enjoys combining this passion with her work-related travel.
