KIT Institute is pleased to announce the launch of the Crisis & Conflict Epidemiology Lab, a new initiative from our global health experts that brings together epidemiological expertise with deep contextual understanding of fragile and conflict-affected settings.

Developed through collaboration between KIT’s Epidemiology team and the Centre for Health Systems in Fragile and Conflict Affected Settings (FCAS), the Lab strengthens KIT’s work at the intersection of global health, fragility, and humanitarian response. It builds on KIT Institute’s long-standing experience in evidence generation for complex contexts and seeks to refine and apply epidemiological approaches that can inform decision-making in real time.

“In crises, uncertainty is inevitable. But with the right methods and partnerships, we can generate evidence where it’s hardest to find, and use it where it’s needed the most,” said Sandra Alba, Senior Epidemiologist at KIT Institute. “This Lab is designed to help us do exactly that.”

The Lab’s work will focus on:

• Applying and refining epidemiological methods to generate timely, decision-ready evidence in fragile, crisis-affected, and humanitarian settings.
• Developing and testing lean, agile epidemiological tools that are feasible, adaptable, and robust in challenging environments.
• Collaborating with local and international partners to ensure evidence is context-sensitive and directly informs operational and policy decisions.

The Lab’s work focuses on generating evidence that addresses the urgent needs of crisis-affected settings.

Nima Yaghmaei, epidemiologist at the Centre for Health Systems in FCAS, emphasised this need: “In crisis settings, decision-makers shouldn’t have to rely on outdated or substandard information. Our mission is to conduct quality research to answer the pressing questions of health systems in times of need.”

Through this initiative, the lab aims to create new opportunities for cross-sectoral collaboration, consolidating and further building on KIT’s evidence-based approach to global health challenges in crisis and conflict contexts.

We welcome research partners, humanitarian organisations, and public health actors to join us in this space of collaboration and innovation, co-developing evidence-based solutions for crisis settings.

For collaboration inquiries, please reach out to Nima Yaghmaei: n.yagmaei@kit.nl