Ekin is an environmental & resource, agri-food systems and development economist with almost two decades of post-PhD experience in designing, resourcing, implementing, managing and evaluating applied research projects and programs. She joins the WRI's Research, Data and Innovation team as the research integrity lead and looks forward to working across the organization to help develop high quality research designs and knowledge products.

Previously she worked for the CGIAR for 21 years, including 15 years as a senior research fellow at the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI), based in Washington, DC and three years as a Research Analyst at Bioversity International, based in Rome. Prior to that she was a pre-doctoral research fellow at the Centre for Social and Economic Research on the Global Environment (CSERGE), University College London and a post-doctoral research fellow at the Department of Land Economy, University of Cambridge. During that time, she also taught undergraduate and graduate level courses at the Universities of Cambridge, London and Reading. Ekin continues to teach and advise graduate students as an adjunct professor at Georgetown University's Global Human Development program. She is a prolific author with over 50 peer-reviewed journal articles, two edited volumes and numerous book chapters, reports and policy briefs, in the fields of environment, agriculture, nutrition, food systems, development and water resource management.

Ekin holds a PhD, an MPhil and a BSc in Economics, and an MSc in Environmental and Resource Economics, all from University College London. A dual national (Turkish and British), Ekin now calls Bethesda, MD home, where she lives with her husband, Andres, daughter, Aylin, and cat, Prince Harry.