Dr. Vivien Foster

Biography

Vivien Foster is a Principal Research Fellow at the Centre for Environmental Policy at Imperial College London, where she lectures on the Environmental Technology MSc program. She is an infrastructure economist with expertise in the economic, financial, environmental, and social dimensions of energy and transport systems in low- and middle-income countries, along with the associated implications for climate transition. Vivien serves as the International Partnerships Lead for the Climate Compatible Growth Initiative, a major Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) research program aimed at leveraging knowledge from major UK universities to support the decarbonization of energy and transport systems in the developing world. She is also affiliated with the Overseas Development Institute as a Senior Research Associate. Previously, Vivien spent 20 years at the World Bank in various research-oriented leadership roles, including as Chief Economist in the Infrastructure Vice-Presidency (2018-2023) and Global Lead on Energy Economics, Markets, and Institutions (2016-2018). She has conducted extensive analytical, advisory, and operational engagements with client governments across 40 countries in Africa, Latin America, Europe, Asia, and the Middle East. Vivien initiated major policy research initiatives such as the World Development Report 2021 – Data Lives, which emphasizes the importance of effective data governance, and has created impactful data products like the Energy Progress Report and Regulatory Indicators for Sustainable Energy (RISE).

Research Interests