Emily Awuor Ouma longs to see improvements in people’s livelihoods—increasing food security, improving incomes, and reducing poverty—and she hopes her research will help to bring this to reality. As a senior scientist at ILRI, she is developing agricultural systems, value chains, and institutions that are responsive to innovative research, and that will ultimately address the needs and encourage the participation of men, women, and youth. Born in Nairobi, Ouma, who is married with 10-year-old son, credits her uncle for encouraging her to pursue a career in agricultural economics. She did her primary and high school studies in Nairobi, and then completed a BSc at Egerton University. She took a position at ILRI upon graduation, working as a research technician. “After two years there, I decided to quit my job and enroll in a master’s program,” she recalls. “I followed up with a PhD shortly thereafter.”