MacFarlane provides MDRC’s Data Collection Unit with expertise in designing and operating web- and SMS-based surveys across diverse sectors. He oversees the development and implementation of complex survey tools for use in schools, homes, economic support programs, and a wide range of other study contexts while also spearheading efforts to update reporting and data-visualization initiatives. Before joining MDRC, MacFarlane worked for nonprofit organizations on child protection and public health research internationally, managing evaluation projects across developing countries in Africa, Asia, and the Caribbean. He holds an undergraduate degree in zoology from the University of Guelph and a master’s degree in public health and epidemiology from Columbia University.