Sarah M. Vincent

Dr. Sarah Vincent is a Postdoctoral Research Scientist at Columbia University’s Mailman School of Public Health, in the Heilbrunn Department of Population and Family Health. She is part of the Program on Women’s Empowerment Research (POWER), directed by Dr. Mahesh Karra.

Dr. Vincent is an applied microeconomist studying how gender norms and gender-based violence emerge and affect broader social and economic outcomes. Her work combines theoretical modelling and empirical analysis, utilizing data from surveys and interviews, historical archives, and randomized controlled trials to inform policy and advance gender equity. Her research is primarily based in India and sub-Saharan Africa.

Her current projects focus on: coercive reproductive health programs and their long-term impacts on gender-based violence; how gender norms shape female entrepreneurship and mobility; preference-behavior alignment in family planning; and menstrual hygiene access and innovation in low-resource settings.