MIT-Africa

Featured News

Commentary

Our Experts

Staff

Ari Jacobovits

Lead, Africa

Managing Director, MIT-Africa Program

Faculty and Researchers

Mai Hassan

Faculty Director, MIT-Africa Program

Associate Professor of Political Science

Faculty and Researchers

Evan Lieberman

Director, Center for International Studies

Faculty Director, MISTI

Director, Global Diversity Lab

Total Professor of Political Science and Contemporary Africa

Faculty and Researchers

Akintunde Akinwande

Faculty Director, Empowering the Teachers

Thomas and Gerd Perkins Professor of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science

Faculty and Researchers

Danielle Wood

Associated Faculty, MIT-Africa Program

Associate Professor of Media Arts and Science

Associate Professor (Joint) of Aeronautics and Astronautics

Faculty and Researchers

Mihaela Papa

Director of Research

Principal Research Scientist

Staff

Brenna Ketchum

Program Assistant, MISTI

Events

See all events

There are no upcoming events. Please check again later!

Opportunities

See all opportunities

MISTI Africa

MISTI Africa matches MIT students with tailored internship, research, teaching and study opportunities in countries across Africa.

Explore MISTI Africa

Global Seed Funds

The MIT Global Seed Funds grant program enables new collaborations between faculty and research scientists at MIT and their counterparts around the world.

Browse seed funds

Student Spotlights

CIS makes it possible for MIT students to experience the world while advancing knowledge, tackling tough challenges, and preparing for lives of impact, service, and leadership in an interconnected global society.

Nickie's story

Mechanical Engineering '24

Nickie Mpofu '24 interned with Semiconductor Technologies Limited (STL), a Kenyan startup focused on semiconductor manufacturing in the summer of 2024.

Amulya's story

MEng '24

MEng graduate Amulya Aluru interned at Jean Piaget University of Cabo Verde in the fall of 2024, where she worked on a project centered around understanding what factors impact vector borne disease, from climate change to nutrition.

Vin's story

Computer Science and Engineering '27

Vin's internship at Startgate, a startup incubator in Marrakesh-Safi, Morocco, focused on enhancing internal operations and promoting data-driven decision-making.

Sophia's work

Global surgery and climate change paper publication

Sophia Chen, a double major in mechanical engineering and arts and design, wrote a paper with her colleagues at the Global Surgery division at the University of Cape Town (UCT), South Africa. She interned at UCT during the summer of 2024 through MISTI Africa. The paper addresses the healthcare industry's contribution to environmental degradation through Global Surgery.

Student opportunities

Publications

See all publications

Report

Papa, Mihaela, and Evan S. Lieberman. “Global Climate Adaptation: Overcoming Political and Policy Challenges.” MIT Center for International Studies, Post-Workshop Report (April 2025).

April 2025

Paper

Koehler-Derrick, Gabriel, Richard Nielsen, and David Romney. “The Supply of Conspiracism in State-Controlled Media.” The Journal of Politics, 2025.

February 2025

Paper

Papa, Mihaela, and Zhen Han. “The Evolution of Soft Balancing in Informal Institutions: The Case of BRICS.” International Affairs (London) 101, no. 1 (2025): 73–95.

January 2025

Paper

Charnysh, Volha, Jared Kalow, Evan Lieberman, and Erin Walk. “How Information about Historic Carbon Emissions Affects Support for Climate Aid: Evidence from a Survey Experiment.” Climatic Change 177, no. 12 (2024).

December 2024

Paper

Lockwood, Sarah, and Evan Lieberman. “Politician Responses to Material Incentives for Participation in Surveys: Experimental Evidence from South Africa.” Research & Politics 11, no. 2 (2024).

June 2024

Paper

Hassan, Mai, Horacio Larreguy, and Stuart Russell. “Who Gets Hired? Political Patronage and Bureaucratic Favoritism.” The American Political Science Review 118, no. 4 (2024): 1913–30.

January 2024

Book

Death Dust: The Rise, Decline, and Future of Radiological Weapons Programs

Stanford University Press

2023

Death Dust: The Rise, Decline, and Future of Radiological Weapons Programs

Paper

Han, Zhen, and Mihaela Papa. “Leadership and Performance in Informal Institutions: The Internal Dynamics of BRICS.” Contemporary Politics 30, no. 1 (2024): 87–107.

October 2023

Paper

Hassan, Mai, and Ahmed Kodouda. “Dismantling Old or Forging New Clientelistic Ties? Sudan’s Civil Service Reform after Uprising.” World Development 169 (2023): 106-232.

September 2023

Paper

Papa, Mihaela, Zhen Han, and Frank O’Donnell. “The Dynamics of Informal Institutions and Counter-Hegemony: Introducing a BRICS Convergence Index.” European Journal of International Relations 29, no. 4 (2023): 960–89.

July 2023

Featured News

Indian diplomacy: the new era of BRICS

Papa on the 2025 BRICS Summit

Summer 2025 reading from MIT

BRICS’ new map Is taking shape

MIT-Africa launches new collaboration with Angola

Jacobovits wins MIT Excellence Award

Sudan’s intractable war

MIT announces the Initiative for New Manufacturing

CIS congratulates our 2025 graduates

Robert Wilhelm visits CIS

Our Experts

Ari Jacobovits

Mai Hassan

Evan Lieberman

Akintunde Akinwande

Danielle Wood

Mihaela Papa

Brenna Ketchum

Events

Opportunities

Student Spotlights

Nickie's story

Amulya's story

Vin's story

Sophia's work

Publications

Papa, Mihaela, and Evan S. Lieberman. “Global Climate Adaptation: Overcoming Political and Policy Challenges.” MIT Center for International Studies, Post-Workshop Report (April 2025).

Koehler-Derrick, Gabriel, Richard Nielsen, and David Romney. “The Supply of Conspiracism in State-Controlled Media.” The Journal of Politics, 2025.

Papa, Mihaela, and Zhen Han. “The Evolution of Soft Balancing in Informal Institutions: The Case of BRICS.” International Affairs (London) 101, no. 1 (2025): 73–95.

Charnysh, Volha, Jared Kalow, Evan Lieberman, and Erin Walk. “How Information about Historic Carbon Emissions Affects Support for Climate Aid: Evidence from a Survey Experiment.” Climatic Change 177, no. 12 (2024).

Lockwood, Sarah, and Evan Lieberman. “Politician Responses to Material Incentives for Participation in Surveys: Experimental Evidence from South Africa.” Research & Politics 11, no. 2 (2024).

Hassan, Mai, Horacio Larreguy, and Stuart Russell. “Who Gets Hired? Political Patronage and Bureaucratic Favoritism.” The American Political Science Review 118, no. 4 (2024): 1913–30.

Death Dust: The Rise, Decline, and Future of Radiological Weapons Programs

Han, Zhen, and Mihaela Papa. “Leadership and Performance in Informal Institutions: The Internal Dynamics of BRICS.” Contemporary Politics 30, no. 1 (2024): 87–107.

Hassan, Mai, and Ahmed Kodouda. “Dismantling Old or Forging New Clientelistic Ties? Sudan’s Civil Service Reform after Uprising.” World Development 169 (2023): 106-232.

Papa, Mihaela, Zhen Han, and Frank O’Donnell. “The Dynamics of Informal Institutions and Counter-Hegemony: Introducing a BRICS Convergence Index.” European Journal of International Relations 29, no. 4 (2023): 960–89.