Trudy joined the School of Economics at the University of Nottingham in February 2004 as a Lecturer. Her interests are in applied microeconomic research focusing on poverty, growth and non-governmental organisations in sub-Saharan Africa.
She is a Research Associate at the Centre for the Study of African Economies, University of Oxford. She is also working on the economics of Multiple Sclerosis in association with the Queens Medical Centre, Nottingham.
She has published in Economic Development and Cultural Change, World Bank Economic Review, World Development and Journal of Development Studies.