REL Team

Mirka Martel is IIE’s Head of Research, Evaluation and Learning (REL) and has been with IIE since 2012. Mirka is the Project Director of the IFP Alumni Tracking Study, an unprecedented study measuring the impact of international scholarship on emerging social justice leaders from marginalized communities. Mirka was brought onto the study in the final years of IFP’s existence and worked closely with the Ford Foundation and IFP’s Secretariat to plan the technical approach to the 10-year study. Mirka oversees key research in international and comparative education through her own scholarly work and that of the REL Unit at IIE. Her oversight of key resources in the international education community, such as Open Doors and Project Atlas, continue to advance the field and provide strategic insight into the future of international education. Mirka has more than 15 years of experience managing research and evaluation projects on international education, leadership, and development. She recently published a chapter on measuring impact in International Scholarships in Higher Education: Pathways to Social Change (2018).

Mirka is originally from Czech Republic and holds a Doctorate in International and Comparative Education from Teachers College, Columbia University. Mirka is fluent in English and Spanish. 

Leah Mason is IIE’s REL Team Lead. She serves as co-editor of the IFP Alumni Tracking Study Final Publication. In addition, Leah oversees a portfolio of multiyear research initiatives, leading IIE’s Project Atlas, Global Workforce Pathways, and the Global Education Research Report series. She has more than 20 years of experience as a researcher and program administrator in international education with a focus on student mobility and career readiness. Leah is also a 2022-2023 Education Policy Fellow at the Institute of Educational Leadership and teaches in the Programs in Education, Inquiry and Justice department at Georgetown University. She holds a doctorate and master’s in international education from Teachers College, Columbia University.

Nora Nemeth is Research & Evaluation Officer at IIE and supports the REL Unit from IIE’s office in Budapest, Hungary. In the IFP Alumni Tracking Study, Nora supports the team in quantitative and qualitative analysis, IFP alumni database updates, social media, and IFP Alumni Awards. Beyond IFP, she supports a variety of research and evaluation activities for Open Doors®, the National Science Foundation Track III Research, and others. Previously, she contributed to IIE’s evaluation for the International Development Research Centre IDRC’s: Contributions to Building Emerging Research for Development Leaders. Nora has over 10 years of experience in international education. She joined IIE Europe in 2009 to work on EducationUSA. She also has experience in outreach and selection for scholarship programs administered by IIE. Nora studied in the United States for almost 10 years.

Nora is originally from Hungary and received her master’s degree in international relations from the University of Pécs (in Hungary), and a bachelor’s degree in economics from Budapest Business School (in Hungary). She is fluent in English, Hungarian, and French.

Kyriaki Mihelakis is an Administrative & Research Coordinator at IIE, supporting the Program Development & Partner Services Department and the Research, Evaluation & Learning Unit. She plans and coordinates IFP meetings and events, supports IFP Alumni Engagement across various media, and assists with revision and content design for IFP study materials including Issue Briefs. Prior to joining IIE, Kyriaki was an Adjunct Lecturer at Queens College, CUNY. She also has over ten years of experience in the banking sector.

Kyriaki is originally from the United States and holds an M.A. in Liberal Studies from Queens College, CUNY. She is fluent in English and Greek.

Ash Holanda is a Research and Web Content Officer with the REL Unit and maintains the IIE website, Additionally, they create graphics and visualizations to inform and communicate information to internal and external audiences about the IFP Alumni Tracking Study, among others, such as Open Doors® and Project Atlas®. In addition, they support IFP alumni engagement through projects like the Photo of the Month. Prior to their position at IIE, they spent more than four years working with different organizations in both the United States and Japan.