2025 Bentley and Hopper-Bhatia research award recipients announced

IDRC is pleased to announce this year’s recipients of the Bentley and Hopper-Bhatia Research Awards. Sofia Jomo, a graduate of `the food, nutrition and dietetics master’s degree program at Kenyatta University in Kenya, is the 2025 recipient of the Bentley and IDRC Research Award. Mercy Muthuuri, a student in the master’s degree program in public policy and global affairs at the University of British Columbia, Canada received the Hopper-Bhatia and IDRC Research Award.

The Bentley Award is offered to an IDRC-supported researcher doing work related to agriculture. Sofia is researching the commitments and progress that East African countries (Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Ethiopia, and Rwanda) have made in transforming their food systems following the United Nations Food Systems Summit. Her work is part of the Centre’s Climate-Resilient Food Systems program.

The Hopper-Bhatia and IDRC Research Award is offered to young researchers in the early stages of their careers doing work related to the empowerment of girls, women and Indigenous communities. Mercy is undertaking research on financing women and youth-led green entrepreneurship for an inclusive and low-carbon transition in Kenya. By analyzing systemic barriers, innovative financial tools and institutional frameworks, her work, part of IDRC’s Sustainable Inclusive Economies program, aims to provide actionable recommendations to promote inclusive, gender-responsive and youth-focused climate finance solutions. The findings will contribute to Kenya’s green transition while advancing global commitments to gender equity and sustainable development.