Dr. Lauren Wildschut holds a PhD in Evaluation Studies. Over the past 19 years, she has evaluated programs primarily in education and higher education in South Africa and other sub-Saharan African countries. Dr Wildschut is currently the Coordinator for the Postgraduate evaluation program at the Centre for Evaluation, Science and Technology (CREST) at Stellenbosch University. She is also the Director of the African Institute for ATLAS.ti (AIA) which aims to build a cadre of qualitative researchers across Africa who produce rigorous research utilising ATLAS.ti. She is a former chairperson of the South African Monitoring and Evaluation Association (SAMEA) and the current South African representative of the International Organisation for Cooperation in Evaluation (IOCE). She has been member of the American Evaluation Association for 10 years. Dr Wildschut is a member of the International Society for Evaluation Educators (ISEE) which aims to promote quality evaluation education and to stimulate collaboration amongst those who teach evaluation. She is a reviewer for the African Journal of Evaluation, the Canadian Journal of Evaluation, the International Journal of Qualitative Methods and the Evaluation Journal of Australasia. She has worked with a range of clients, including government, nongovernmental groups, international donors, and foundations in Africa.
