Vermeylen, Ella

Ella Vermeylen was a communications intern at UNU-CRIS. She recently graduated from the London School of Economics with a master’s degree in international social and public policy, with a focus on development. Her master’s dissertation was a comparative case study on the delivery and allocation of development aid from Belgium to former and non-former colonies in Sub-Saharan Africa. Before that, she obtained a bachelor’s degree in Sociology from Erasmus University College.

Throughout her academic journey, she has focused on expanding her knowledge and understanding of international policies, particularly concerning international development and social impact. This is evident in her experiences, including her volunteer work at a charity organization in London, aimed at supporting and advocating unpaid carers. Moreover, during her fieldwork in Mumbai, where she researched women's social and political empowerment through participation in a Self-Help Group, she learned the importance of community-based movements and gender empowerment in developing countries.

During her internship at UNU-CRIS, Ella worked under the supervision of Andrew Dunn, directly supported by the Flanders Trainee Program. Ella primarily worked on communications for UNU-CRIS. She worked on editing and formatting new publications, assist with managing the social media, and enhancing outreach strategies. During this internship, Ella was excited to utilize her academic knowledge and experiences to contribute to UNU-CRIS’s research ambitions, while expanding her own skills and practical experience. She hoped this internship was a stepping-stone for her career in multilateral organizations within the international development field.