Mohammad Qardan is the in-country Program Manager at the Feed the Future Jordan Nutrition Innovation Lab (JNIL). He has been working with the Lab since July of 2021 and will be leaving JNIL at the end of August to pursue a master’s degree at the University of East Anglia in the United Kingdom (UK). Read more about Mohammad and his experiences with the Lab below!
Tell us a little about yourself.
I am Mohammad Qardan, and for the past eight years, I have been deeply immersed in the realms of development and research in Jordan. My journey has been marked by a quest for knowledge and a drive to make a meaningful impact for Jordan. Among the many chapters that have shaped my path, the last three years have been dedicated to an extraordinary experience at the Jordan Nutrition Innovation Lab (JNIL). I have a bachelor’s degree in business administration and specialized training in humanitarian operations, and graduated from a USAID-funded monitoring, evaluation, and learning apprenticeship program in 2017.
What is your role at the Lab, and why is it important?
As the country-based Program Manager at JNIL, my responsibilities encompass a diverse range of tasks that collectively contribute to the successful execution of our objectives. At the core of my role lies the management of all field research activities. I actively contribute to the development and revision of our research protocols and data collection instruments. This critical aspect ensures that our studies adhere to the highest standards of scientific rigor and ethics, enabling us to draw meaningful conclusions from our findings.
A pivotal part of my role involves liaising with the Ministry of Health's Institutional Review Board (IRB) to ensure the ethical clearance of our research. The approval process is paramount to safeguarding the welfare and rights of the participants involved in our studies, and I take this responsibility with utmost dedication. I lead and manage our team, providing ongoing feedback and support to ensure their effectiveness in data collection and adherence to established protocols. My role predominantly contributes to JNIL's first objective, which centers around a rigorous research agenda. This includes conducting an impact evaluation of USAID Jordan's Community Health and Nutrition (CHN) activity, aiming to bring about positive change in the realm of maternal and infant young child nutrition.
What are your next steps, and how has your experience at JNIL helped you?
As I move on to the next chapter to acquire a master’s degree in impact evaluation for global development at the University of East Anglia in the UK, I will take this opportunity to acknowledge that it has been a privilege to work with a dedicated team whom I was able to learn from and grow with over the past 3 years. Working with reputable researchers and development professionals from JNIL and Mindset have been fundamental for me in developing valuable skills not only in the field of research, monitoring and evaluation, but also in the field of Maternal, Infant, and Young Child Nutrition.
Any final comments before you leave?
Instead of bidding farewell, I will say, see you soon. I truly value the collective accomplishments we have achieved together, and I hope that the inspiration I have gained from my colleagues at JNIL is commensurate and aligns with the contributions I have made in my role.
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This blog post was made possible through support provided by Feed the Future through the U.S. Agency for International Development under the terms of Cooperative Agreement Associate Award No. 72027820LA00003. The contents are the responsibility of the Jordan Nutrition Innovation Lab at Tufts University and do not necessarily reflect the views of USAID or the United States Government.
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