Mirka Martel

Mirka Martel is IIE’s Head of Research, Evaluation & Learning (REL). Dr. Martel brings nearly 20 years of experience managing research and evaluation projects in international education, leadership, and development. She oversees two key resources used by international education practitioners that advance the field and provide strategic insight into the future of academic mobility flows in the United States and worldwide – the historic Open Doors report on international educational exchange and the Project Atlas research initiative on global student mobility.

Dr. Martel manages over 20 performance and impact evaluations for IIE programs and external clients, including the Ford Foundation, Carnegie Corporation of New York, U.S. Department of State, and the U.S. Agency for International Development. She specializes in quantitative and qualitative evaluation of international education programs, with a specific interest in higher education exchange and leadership. Dr. Martel has published numerous articles and research studies on international education, including the COVID-19 Effects on U.S. Higher Education Campuses report series, International Student Mobility: New Directions for Global Academic Exchange, and International Scholarships in Higher Education: Pathways to Social Change , and has presented at international conferences and panels. She is Project Director of the Ford Foundation’s International Fellowships Program (IFP) 10-year Alumni Tracking Study,  an unprecedented study measuring the impact of international scholarships on emerging social justice leaders from marginalized communities in 22 countries.

Prior to joining IIE, Dr. Martel worked for JBS International, an evaluation consulting firm in Washington, D.C. She provided technical assistance and evaluation support to teacher training programs in Latin America funded by the U.S. Agency for International Development, and international exchange programs funded by the U.S. Department of State. Dr. Martel is active in the American Evaluation Association (AEA) and the Comparative International Education Society (CIES). She holds a Doctor of Philosophy in International and Comparative Education from Teachers College, Columbia University and a Masters in International Affairs from Columbia University.