Consulting

Michelle Lokot is an independent consultant, humanitarian practitioner and researcher, specialising in monitoring and evaluation, qualitative research and gender-based violence (GBV). She was Assistant Professor at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine (2019–2026), and her earlier humanitarian work in Jordan, Nigeria and Burundi focused on programme management, technical advice and monitoring and evaluation. Michelle supports NGOs and UN agencies in using feminist decolonial approaches in their work.

Services

• ✦ Evaluations, research and assessments on gender, GBV and safeguarding, including gender analyses of policy and legislation, using qualitative, quantitative and mixed methods.
• ✦ Monitoring and evaluation support, including programme design, indicator development and Theory of Change facilitation.
• ✦ Technical advice on GBV and gender equality programming.
• ✦ Organisational assessments, including gender and inclusion self-assessments, gender pay gap analyses, and culture and safeguarding surveys.
• ✦ AI-enabled content analysis of large volumes of publications, reports and social media, examining colonial language.
• ✦ Training, workshop facilitation and curriculum development, including on GBV, Theory of Change and ethical, survivor-centred approaches to GBV research.

Examples of consulting work

• ✦ Geneva Centre of Humanitarian Studies (2026–present): Course coordinator for Addressing Sexual Violence in Conflict and Emergency Settings.
• ✦ Plan International (2026): Global safeguarding and PSEA culture surveys of staff (5,000+ responses) and programme participants (27,000+ responses). Revised the survey tools, analysed the data and wrote two reports with recommendations.
• ✦ SIHA Network (2025): Gender analysis of South Sudan's draft family law, including its alignment with Islamic and customary law.
• ✦ Cynara Gender Training Platform and Fabulous Feminists (2021–present): Designed and delivers the four-day course Decolonising Monitoring & Evaluation and Research: Practical Guidance from a Feminist Approach. It runs two to three times a year and is now also offered through this website.
• ✦ International Rescue Committee (2020): Guidance on feminist language and power for GBV practitioners, published as Opportunities for transformative language within feminist approaches to partnership.
• ✦ Training: Training for development and humanitarian practitioners on researching gender, decolonial and feminist research and M&E, gender transformative programming, decolonial programme design, and introductory gender concepts.

Publications

Selected academic literature

• Lokot, M., Kalichman, B., Pichon, M., Buller, A.M. & Kyegombe, N. (2026) 'Exploring understandings and approaches to decolonisation in the field of violence against women and girls: Towards conceptual clarity and actionable strategies for funding, programming and research', PLOS Global Public Health.
• Lokot, M., Sultana, N., Hidrobo, M., Ahmed, A., Hoddinott, J., Rakshit, D., Roy, S. & Ranganathan, M. (2025) 'Evolution of intimate partner violence impacts from cash transfers, food transfers, and behaviour change communication: Mixed-method experimental evidence from a nine-year post-programme follow-up in Bangladesh', Social Science & Medicine, 371, 117901.
• Lokot, M., Hashmi, I., Hartman, E., Zreik, T. & Wake, C. (2024) 'Always the ideal? Exploring the risks of refugee participation in research', Refuge, 40(1), 1–15.
• Lokot, M., Zreik, T., El Masri, R., Chaar, S., Ali, R., Meksassi, B., Asmar, M., McKee, M., Roberts, B. & El Chammay, R. (2024) 'Power dynamics and participation within humanitarian coordination groups: A case study of the MHPSS Taskforce in Lebanon', PLOS Global Public Health, 4(3).
• Lokot, M., Hartman, E. & Hashmi, I. (2024) 'Participatory approaches and methods in gender equality and gender-based violence research with refugees and internally displaced populations: a scoping review', Conflict & Health.
• Lokot, M., DiPangrazio, L., Acen, D., Gatpan, V. & Apunyo, R. (2022) 'The "demand side" of child marriage: expanding gender norms to marriage drivers facing boys and men in South Sudan', Journal of Humanitarian Affairs, 4(1).
• Lokot, M. (2021) 'Whose voices? Whose knowledge? A feminist analysis of the value of key informant interviews', International Journal of Qualitative Methods, 20.
• Lokot, M. (2019) 'The space between us: feminist values and humanitarian power dynamics in research with refugees', Gender & Development, 27(3), 467–484.

Selected grey literature

• Lokot, M., Pichon, M., Venner, G., Hafez, S., Ward, C., Ombidi, W., Bangirana, C. & Zimmerman, C. (2025) Power hierarchies during "field" visits: recommendations for researchers, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine.
• Lokot, M., Hashmi, I. & Hartman, E. (2023) Participation of refugees and internally displaced persons (IDPs) in research: guidance for researchers from researchers, Technical Report, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine.
• Lokot, M. & Wake, C. (2021) The co-production of research between academics, NGOs and communities in humanitarian response: a practice guide, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine.