Duke Sanford Announces Robyn Meeks as New Director of Graduate Studies for the Master of International Development Policy Program

The Duke Sanford School of Public Policy announces the appointment of Dr. Robyn Meeks as the Director of Graduate Studies (DGS) for the Master of International Development Policy (MIDP) Program. Meeks will begin her two-year appointment on July 1, 2026.

Meeks is an economist whose research lies at the intersection of environmental economics and development economics.  Her work focuses on understanding individual, household, and firm responses to the introduction of various water and energy technologies, policies, and types of infrastructure in low- and middle-income countries. As a result, much of her work is foundational for climate and development policies.

Image

Interim Dean Manoj Mohanan shared, “We are thrilled to have Robyn step into MIDP leadership.  Her scholarship and deep understanding of the economics and policy development around the world will be incredibly valuable as we begin a new chapter in the MIDP program.” 

Meek’s research has taken her to Africa, Asia, and South America; she currently has active research projects in Benin, China, Nepal, and Pakistan. She’s a research affiliate of the Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab (J-PAL) at MIT.  She serves as the Senior Editor of the VoxDevLit on Electricity Infrastructure and Associate Editor of the American Economic Journal: Applied Economics.  Meeks also serves on the Faculty Advisory Committee for the Duke Nicholas Institute for Energy, Environment & Sustainability and a Faculty Associate of the James E. Rogers Energy Access Project.

“Since joining the Duke faculty in 2017, I have taught many MIDP students in my classes and advised a number of their masters projects.  The students are inspiring, and I learn a tremendous amount from interacting with them. I am excited and honored to be taking on this role in the program,” said Meeks.

Meeks will succeed Dr. Cory Krupp who has served in the role since 2021.  “We are grateful for Cory’s inspiring leadership and long tenure with the MIDP program.  She has been a celebrated teacher and mentor to our students. In my travels around the world, Sanford’s MIDP alumni always make it a point to note how much of an impact Cory has had on their lives and fondly recall the warm mentoring relationship they shared. With her leadership, teaching, scholarship, and mentoring, Cory has been a guiding force for students and faculty colleagues in MIDP and at Sanford,” noted Mohanan.

Krupp has taught and advised in the MIDP program since she came to Duke in 1998, and she first became the DGS in 2005. “The mid-career MIDP fellows are a very special group, coming to Sanford from all over the world with many years of practical development experience. The interactions we have in class are rich and multifaceted, and I love the way the fellows bond with each other.  It is a unique, transformative experience not only for the fellows but also those of us who have had the privilege of teaching and working with them.”

The Duke Sanford School of Public Policy is among the nation’s leading public policy schools, and offers undergraduate, master’s and doctoral-level degrees in public policy, international development policy and national security policy. The Master of International Development Policy program empowers global leaders in sustainable development.  The program is a self-designed, interdisciplinary degree that prepares mid-career professionals from around the world with policy expertise, technical skills, and collaborative peer-learning experience needed to lead transformative change in their communities.