Dr Kerstin Jonsson Cissé is currently working at the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency and is responsible for the implementation of the strategy for research cooperation and research in development cooperation. The strategy covers research aiming at improving the lives of people living in poverty through strengthening of national research systems (support for libraries, laboratories, IT and research councils, with the aim of creating functional research environments) and through research relevant to low-income countries for example, on a large number of diseases, agriculture and forestry methods, nature conservation, culture and humanities, community building and climate adaptation.

Until recently, Dr Jonsson Cissé was head of the unit in charge of  Global Action for Sustainable Economic Development, and earlier Sida’s Lead Policy Specialist on Agriculture, Forestry and Food Security. She was Country Director for the Swedish International Development Agency’s cooperation with Mali and Burkina Faso.

Dr Jonsson Cissé has spent 11 years in West Africa working with rural development, food security humanitarian and post-conflict development cooperation.

Dr Jonsson Cissé holds a doctoral degree from the Swedish University of Agriculture Sciences with focus on agroforestry and her doctoral thesis focused on Burkina Faso and Tanzania.