Ashrita Saran

Dr. Ashrita Saran is the Director, Evaluation and Evidence Synthesis Programme at the Global Development Network (GDN). Ashrita brings nearly a decade of expertise in systematic reviews, scoping reviews, rapid evidence assessments, and evidence and gap maps across diverse themes in international development. She has led and co-authored high-impact reviews for prominent organisations, including CGIAR, FCDO, UNICEF, WHO, and PMNCH. Her work spans topics such as climate-smart agriculture, Eco-DRR, violence against children, carbon pricing interventions, and disability-focused interventions.
In her leadership positions as Founding Executive Director of Campbell South Asia and Director of Evaluation and Evidence Synthesis at GDN, Ashrita has advanced evidence synthesis capacity in South Asia and pioneered evidence-mapping approaches that shaped Campbell Collaboration’s guidance. She has edited for Campbell’s Climate Solutions Coordinating Group and Health Research Policy and Systems and advised initiatives like the Evidence Synthesis Taxonomy Initiative (ESTI).
Ashrita has facilitated workshops in 15+ countries, training nearly 400 researchers, and has designed over 100 workshops for leading organisations such as the Asian Development Bank, Campbell South Asia, UNICEF, ICMR, IIT Delhi, India’s Ministry of Health & Family Welfare, UNDP, the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, and the Centre of Excellence for Development Impact and Learning (CEDIL).. She is also a referee for respected journals, including PLOS ONE, Social Science & Medicine, and World Development.