International Development celebrates success at the 2026 LSE Impact Prizes
Members of the Department of International Development have been recognised for their outstanding research impact at the 2026 LSE Impact Prizes, with Professor Shirin Madon, Dr Stephanie Levy and Claudia Rodriguez Castellanos all receiving recognition.
The annual LSE Impact Prizes celebrate excellent engagement, impact and impact culture across the School, recognising the ways LSE research contributes to the betterment of society. The 2026 prizes were presented on Wednesday 30 September.
Shirin Madon: Winner of Outstanding Impact Culture
Shirin Madon, Professor of Digital Technologies and Socioeconomic Development, won the Outstanding Impact Culture award for her work, Improving healthcare at the periphery in rural Karnataka, India.
Shirin Madon's interdisciplinary research examines the relationship between digital innovation, governance and socioeconomic development. Her recent work in rural Karnataka explores how India's centralised digital public infrastructure is aligning with decentralised community health governance. Her wider expertise includes health information systems for improving primary healthcare, digital technologies and rural e-governance in India.
The Outstanding Impact Culture category recognises innovation and achievement in fostering and embedding positive, inclusive and ethical impact environments, as well as thought leadership in these areas.
Stephanie Levy: Runner-up for Outstanding Individual Impact
Stephanie Levy, Professor in Practice in the Department, was named Runner-up for Outstanding Individual Impact for her work, Improving targeting accuracy in Cambodia's social protection system.
A development economist with more than 20 years' experience in social protection and poverty reduction policies across Africa and Asia, Stephanie Levy's research focuses on social protection, economic inclusion and livelihood programmes, including cash transfers and graduation approaches. Her work on Cambodia has included research on social safety nets, the economic impact of cash transfers and social protection support for people experiencing extreme poverty.
The Outstanding Individual Impact prize recognises excellence in impact achieved by an individual member of LSE staff.
Claudia Rodriguez Castellanos: Highly Commended for PhD researcher impact
International Development PhD student Claudia Rodriguez Castellanos was Highly Commended in the Outstanding PhD Researcher Impact category for her work, Three villages in Caquetá: resilience and resistance amid neglect.
Claudia Rodriguez Castellanos's doctoral research explores informal institutions in violent contexts, with a particular focus on conflict-resolution mechanisms in areas affected by the armed conflict in Colombia. She is also interested in developing innovative, ethical and impactful ways of combining qualitative and quantitative research methods.
The Outstanding PhD Researcher Impact prize recognises excellence in impact achieved during, or within a year of completing, PhD research.
Together, the three awards highlight the breadth of impactful research taking place across LSE International Development, spanning healthcare and digital governance in rural India, social protection in Cambodia and conflict-affected communities in Colombia.
Congratulations to Shirin Madon, Stephanie Levy and Claudia Rodriguez Castellanos on this fantastic recognition.