Laurel Steinfield is an accomplished Assistant Professor at Bentley University who has dedicated her research to understanding how markets, marketing and policy impact gender inequalities. With a Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) and a Master of Science (M.Sc.) in Management Research from the University of Oxford's Said Business School, as well as a Bachelor of Commerce, Honours degree from Queen's University, she has an extensive educational background in the field of business. Her research has seen her working with subsistence farmers in Kenya to implement social innovations to increase resilience to climate change and a DFID/ERSC-funded study in Uganda that assessed the connection between proper sanitary care and girls' education. Additionally, she uses fieldwork and historical analysis to explore the driving forces of consumption and materialism from a cultural perspective in emerging economies such as South Africa and Uganda. Laurel is a member of Green Templeton College and has been part of researching various studies within Africa, including the Entrepreneurial Finance Lab run by Harvard’s Center for International Development and a study focused on the financial practices of women entrepreneurs.