Mercy Bridget Alupo is a Research Scholar at ICRW-Uganda, where she contributes to the development and execution of research that advances gender equality, youth wellbeing, and evidence-informed policy. Her work spans qualitative and quantitative methods, community-engaged research, and translating evidence into actionable insights for program and policy improvement. Mercy brings rich experience from roles at Makerere University School of Public Health, the Luigi Giussani Foundation, and BRAC Uganda, where she supported large-scale field studies, coordinated youth engagement initiatives, and collaborated with government and civil society partners. She has led menstrual hygiene campaigns reaching schoolgirls across multiple districts, designed capacity-building sessions for young leaders, and contributed to policy communication strategies aimed at strengthening gender-responsive programming. As a passionate advocate for youth economic empowerment, Mercy is also the founder of Butter & Love Cakes, a social enterprise that not only provides high quality baked goods but also creates employment opportunities for young people particularly women without formal education through skills development and dignified work in the baking industry. Education: Mercy holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Environmental Health Science from Makerere University School of Public Health and has additional training in Good Clinical Practice and research ethics. Languages: English, Luganda, Swahili, Japadhola