Karen Marshall

Karen Marshall is a Principal Scientist at ILRI and Productivity+ area of work lead for the CGIAR Sustainable Animal and Aquatic Foods (SAAF) Science Program. She has nearly 20 years of experience leading research-for-development initiatives that strengthen livestock systems across low- and middle-income countries. Karen’s work spans multiple dimensions of sustainable animal food systems, including productivity, climate resilience, gender and social inclusion, and market systems. She has played a key role in shaping CGIAR’s approach to livestock research through leadership of major initiatives such as SAAF, ensuring that innovations are demand-driven, contextually relevant, and scalable.

Karen is known for her ability to build strong partnerships and lead interdisciplinary teams to deliver real-world impact. She has guided the development of program- and site-level theories of change, championed co-design processes with governments, communities, and private sector actors, and embedded monitoring, learning, and adaptive management into large-scale programs. Her commitment to equity and inclusion underpins her work, ensuring women, youth, and marginalized groups benefit from livestock research. Karen continues to work with partners to transform livestock systems into engines of improved livelihoods, food security, and sustainable development in LMICs.