Promise Nduku

Promise Mucharesva Nduku is a Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the African Synthesis Centre for Climate Change, Environment and Development (ASCEND), University of Cape Town. He is a development economist and evidence synthesis specialist with nine years of experience leading and contributing to numerous evidence syntheses, including systematic reviews, evidence maps, rapid reviews, and living evidence products for national and international decision-makers. His expertise spans quantitative evidence synthesis, including meta-analysis, and qualitative synthesis across multiple sectors: health, climate, environment, agriculture, education, etc. He has extensive experience producing policy-relevant evidence, leading multidisciplinary projects, and engaging stakeholders to strengthen evidence-informed decision-making.

At ASCEND, he contributes to the Wellcome-funded DESTinY project under the Climate Risk Lab’s health/climate-health research theme, focusing on climate risk, climate-health impacts, and climate adaptation. His work places particular emphasis on evidence transfer from science to policy and practice, especially in evidence-poor settings. Within DESTinY, he leads work on translating evidence on heat-related mortality and morbidity in cities for use in low- and middle-income country contexts, combining empirical and modelling evidence to support actionable decision-making.