Professor Giacomo Zanello

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+44 (0) 118 378 8971
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Professor
- Head of Agri-Food Economics and Marketing Department
- Deputy Director of Graduate Institute for International Development, Agriculture and Economics
Postgraduate supervision
I enjoy supporting students in designing applied research that is both methodologically sound and grounded in real-world issues. I have supervised to completion nine doctoral students and mentored several postdoctoral researchers, often within interdisciplinary research teams. My supervision approach is collaborative and tailored to the student鈥檚 needs, with an emphasis on developing critical thinking, analytical skills, and academic writing. Many of my former students have co-authored peer-reviewed publications and now work in research, policy, or development institutions.
Teaching
- Module convenor of Research Methods in Economics and Marketing (Skills and Practice) (ADMREM)
- Module co-convenor of Food Policy and Supply Chain Management (AD3FPS | ADMFPS)
Research projects
My research sits at the intersection of food systems, nutrition, and rural development, with a focus on applied and policy-relevant research questions. I work across multiple domains, from agricultural transformation and gender dynamics to time use, energy expenditure, and food environment utilisation, often drawing on empirical methods and interdisciplinary collaborations. Much of my work is field based, with research developed in South and South-East Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa. I have led and contributed to a range of projects funded by UKRI, FCDO-BMGF, the British Academy and others. My work has been published in journals such as World Development, Nature Food, Social Science and Medicine, and Food Policy. I am particularly interested in advancing measurement tools that capture complex behaviours and lived experiences to inform better policy and practice.
Professional bodies/affiliations
Other positions:
- Fellow at the London Centre for Integrative Research on Agriculture and Health (London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine)
- Research Associate at the Technology and Management Centre for Development (University of Oxford)
- Core member of the Independent Expert Group for the Global Nutrition Report