Marina joined Samuel Hall in October 2024 as a Research Assistant in the Monitoring, Evaluation, Assessment and Learning Pillar. She holds a dual Masters in International Development from Sciences Po Paris and Peking University, specialising in humanitarian project management, diplomacy and China-Africa relations. Her thesis focused on the Chinese state as an emerging actor in international development cooperation.
Previously, she worked in strategic evaluation with evaluation consultancy ADE in Brussels, carrying out data collection, analysis, and contributing to evaluation reports for the European Commission, including on its development cooperation with the World Bank and its humanitarian action strategy.
She also worked in partnerships management for a French NGO supporting girls’ access to quality education and climate adaptation practices in Cambodia, complementing her research on the intersection of gender, education and climate change, as well as for the China-Africa Business Council in Beijing. Alongside, she volunteered for student organisations supporting refugees in Paris. Marina holds a Bachelor's degree in History from the University of Durham, where she focused on modern Chinese and East Asian history.