Alumni Profile: Claire Weil

Claire completed an MSc in Evidence-Based Social Intervention and Policy Evaluation (2018) in the Department of Social Policy at Green Templeton College (GTC). Since graduating, she has built an international career in research, monitoring, and evaluation, working across public health, humanitarian assistance, and social policy in low-resource and emergency contexts. Claire has held senior roles in policy research and consulting and now works independently with organisations including Médecins Sans Frontières, Gavi, the World Bank, and Save the Children, helping them understand what works and what doesn’t, supporting evaluations and learning agendas that bridge academic insight and operational decision-making.

Establishing new roots in the north

Having recently moved to Manchester with her partner (whom she met while organising the GTC Ball), Claire is keen to build a local alumni community and reconnect with like-minded peers. She sees particular opportunity in the north of the UK, where community ties and a sense of shared identity feel very important. Through an alumni group, she hopes to create a space for thoughtful conversation and intellectual challenge, alongside the simple pleasure of spending time with people who share a common history, reminiscing about evenings at the Royal Oak, sitting on the lawn in the summers, the delightful and relaxed formal dinners, the distinctive smells of a bop in the Stables Bar, or the familiar trudge through Jericho after a night out.

Time at GTC

Claire looks back very fondly on her time at GTC. The MSc sharpened her critical analysis and research skills and enabled her to deepen her understanding of the artform of interpreting and translating data for decision-making. She came to see research and evaluation not simply as technical exercises, but as important responsibilities supporting high-stakes decision-making in contexts where time, certainty, and data are all limited. Beyond the academic training, her experience at GTC was defined by the people she met and the ideas she encountered; conversations that challenged her assumptions, broadened her worldview, and strengthened the networks she continues to draw on. In many ways, her time at GTC helped her grow not only as a researcher, but as a more grounded and reflective member of her community.