Rachel Howell

Biography

Rachel is Senior Researcher at EPFL’s Essential Tech Lab and passionate about the role of technology in sustainable development, and the importance of interdisciplinary research in solving societal problems. Originally an engineer by training, Rachel has a decade of experience working in sub-Saharan Africa (Somaliland, Kenya, Rwanda, Uganda, Tanzania, Ghana, Nigeria) for startups, NGOs and as co-founder of a tech startup. Her research interests are in low resource/frugal innovation, understanding users and their role in design/product development and the role of the private sector in sustainable development. Rachel did her PhD at Delft University of Technology where she conducted research on frugal innovations in the water and energy sectors in East Africa. Prior to joining Essential Tech, Rachel worked as a product owner for Pharmaccess, spearheading a gamified mobile app that aimed to help healthcare facilities in sub-Saharan Africa improve their quality of care.