Purnima Menon is the senior director for food and nutrition policy at the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI). She is also the acting director for transformative strategies.

Menon has wide-ranging research experience in evaluating large-scale programs in nutrition, health systems, agriculture, gender, technology and food systems. She has authored more than 200 peer-reviewed publications, including studies in high-impact journals across disciplines, and has co-authored and advised on major global reports on nutrition and health. She has played a pivotal role in agenda-setting academic collaborations, such as the Lancet Series on Nutrition, Countdown to 2030 and the Global Nutrition Report.

Throughout her career, Menon has worked to translate research for policy communities. She has prepared and facilitated multiple nutrition-focused policy courses for policymakers with decision-making roles globally and within South Asia. She is a founding member of the Next Gen(D)eration Leadership Collective, an initiative to nurture effective leadership practices for a better-nourished world. 

In 2020, Menon received the Nevin Scrimshaw Mid-Career Award in Global Nutrition from the American Society for Nutrition, in recognition of her contributions to the field.

Menon holds a doctorate in international nutrition from Cornell University and master’s degree in nutrition from the University of Delhi.