Nicole M. Mason-Wardell's research largely focuses on how to support poor African farmers to sustainably raise their productivity and incomes by improving the design, implementation, and impact evaluation of agricultural sector policies and programs. She works across disciplines and continents, collaborating with political scientists, agronomists, soil scientists, and nutritionists as well as fellow economists from around the world to tackle critical agricultural development challenges. Mason Wardell received her Ph.D. in agricultural economics from Michigan State University.