Dr. Melissa Langworthy
Principal Researcher – Inclusive Markets
“Gender matters everywhere in the world. We must raise our daughters differently. We must also raise
our sons differently.” — Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
Dr. Melissa Langworthy is a feminist economist with over 20 years’ experience advancing inclusive and sustainable development, gender equality, and economic justice. She holds an MSc from the London School of Economics and a PhD from Tulane University. Her expertise encompasses regional experience across the MENA, Africa, Asia, and the Pacific, where she researches inclusion under neoliberal policies, with a focus on women’s enterprise and the evolving social and economic ecosystems under financialised capitalism.
Throughout her career, Dr. Langworthy has worked as a researcher, facilitator, and human rights advocate, shaping equitable, accountable, and sustainable institutional structures. She has served as Senior Gender Advisor for European Commission projects, including designing and implementing gender strategies across all six Gulf countries, as well as consulting for governments, civil society organisations, and multilateral institutions such as UN Women, UNESCAP, Facebook, and Oxfam.
Her work has been widely published in leading journals, such as New Political Economy, Journal of Economic Issues, and Journal of International Women’s Studies. She serves on the editorial team for Gender, Work and Organization as Book Review Editor and acts as Ombudsman and Coordinator of the Gender and Social Inclusion research area for the European Association for Evolutionary Political Economy. Through this work, and in partnership with other professional organisations, she maintains a commitment to mentoring emerging scholars globally.
As Research Director at Includovate, Dr. Langworthy leads the Research Department in promoting research innovations and ensuring that all relevant communities are visible and meaningfully included throughout the research process. She prioritises the development of participatory, intersectional, and innovative methodological designs and promotes thought leadership among research team members. Her managerial work, including overseeing the IRB and intern programs, further shapes the standards and individuals that promote high-quality, inclusive, and impactful research and policy analysis at Includovate.