Vanessa Moreira, from Brazil, is a Senior Research Assistant for the Poverty Health and Nutrition of IFPRI. She has joined IFPRI to be part of a research team studying the impact of social protection programs in Latin America and Africa and is currently working on the evaluation of the Brazilian cash transfer program, Bolsa Família. Before joining IFPRI she has worked for the World Bank as a consultant. She holds a Ms. in Statistics from The George Washington University. She also speaks Portuguese (native), French and Spanish.