Martha Aitken is a senior analyst at RAND Europe, working in the Education, Employment and Skills research group. With experience spanning frontline delivery of educational programmes as well as high-level analysis and capacity building with national governments, she is particularly skilled in translating on-the-ground insights into actionable policy recommendations. Her research interests include social inclusion, comparative and international education policy, early childhood education and informal or alternative youth provision.
She is an experienced mixed methods researcher, with expertise ranging from QEDs to focus groups and co-design with marginalized groups. Prior to RAND, Aitken worked with the UNESCO International Institute for Educational Planning, supporting Sub-Saharan African governments to design gender-sensitive education systems. She was also previously data lead at national charity UK Youth, overseeing quantitative research to make the case for investment in youth services. Aitken has a double master’s in education policies for global development from the Autonomous University of Barcelona and social policy from the University of Bremen. She completed her bachelor’s in human, social and political sciences at the University of Cambridge.
B.A. in human, social and political sciences, University of Cambridge; M.A. in education policies for global development, Autonomous University of Barcelona; M.A. in social policy, University of Bremen
