Elif Nisa Polat is currently serving as the Innovation & Knowledge Management Associate at the International Finance Corporation (IFC), where she has been involved in contributing to innovation efforts, particularly in using technology to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of development initiatives.
 

Elif is also an Advisor for RedRose, a software company specialising in helping NGOs and international organisations manage their humanitarian and development projects, particularly in the area of cash and voucher assistance.
 

She is the Editor-in-Chief at humanbeyondtech, focusing on bridging the gap between technology and social impact, curating the most interesting developments in both fields. Previously, Elif worked as a Consultant in the Technology and Innovation Lab at the World Bank. 

In this role, she was responsible for prototyping solutions to increase the efficiency of World Bank operations and enhance service delivery to client countries. She also led workshops and developed resources to empower World Bank staff in embracing AI and blockchain technologies.
 

Elif Nisa Polat also worked as a Consultant in the Finance, Competitiveness, and Innovation team at the World Bank, where she contributed to a $200 million financing project with the Argentine Ministry of Science, Technology, and Innovation, aimed at fostering innovation-led private sector growth.

She also gained experience as a content creator on YouTube, where she grew a community of over 101k subscribers by producing educational content on Web3 and blockchain. Her work played a key role in supporting Turkey's Web3 startup ecosystem.
 

Throughout her career, Elif has been actively engaged in volunteer work, including teaching English and Turkish to Syrian children through Small Projects Istanbul.  She co-authored the paper "Right to Economic Dignity" with Professor Salvador Santino Regilme, published by Palgrave in 2019. The paper explores economic dignity and its relevance to global justice and human rights.
 

She has received several accolades, including the Johns Hopkins SAIS Class of '98 Fellowship, awarded by the inspiring women of the Class of '98. She was also awarded the Jean Monnet Scholarship by the European Union Directorate for EU Affairs in Turkey. 
 

Additionally, Elif received the Leiden Excellence Scholarship (LExS), awarded to the top 10% non-EU students from her previous academic programme and also earned the Academic Merit Scholarship from Bilkent University in 2012 for her excellence during her undergraduate studies.