Dr. Marie Gaarder is passionate about making development decisions smarter and more impactful. As Executive Director of 3ie, she leads global efforts to improve lives in low- and middle-income countries by ensuring policies and programs are grounded in high-quality evidence.
Over her 25-year career, Marie has worn many hats—from guiding 3ie’s early growth to shaping evaluation strategies at the World Bank and the Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation. She has advised governments, overseen major research initiatives, and published widely on topics like cash transfers, fragile states, and making evidence matter.
A driving force behind the Global Evidence Commitment, she works to embed a culture of evidence use among development funders. She also co-chairs the Campbell Collaboration’s International Development Coordinating Group and directs FCDO’s Research Commissioning Centre.
Marie holds a PhD from University College London, an MSc from LSE, and a degree from the University of Oslo.
