Kelly Hallman joined the Population Council in 2001. Her research at the Council focuses on transitions to adulthood, especially the dynamics among schooling, work, and age at marriage and first birth. She is interested in how poverty and culture mediate the sequencing and timing of these events, and how policies and programs can increase the decisionmaking power of young people (especially girls) with regard to their education, livelihoods, marriage, and reproductive health choices. Her recent work focuses on these issues in South Africa and Guatemala.

Before joining the Council, Hallman was a research fellow in the Food Consumption and Nutrition Division at the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) in Washington, DC. At IFPRI, her research focused on how gender and intra-household resource dynamics affect food and nutrition security in poor countries.  

Hallman received her Ph.D. in economics from Michigan State University. Her dissertation focused on the determinants of demand for curative health care services for children in the Philippines. During her graduate studies Hallman worked on health finance issues at the World Bank in Washington, DC.

Kelly Hallman is affiliated with the Population Council's Poverty, Gender, and Youth program.