Institute for African Development Graduate Fellowship

The Institute for African Development (IAD) Graduate Fellowship offers opportunities for engagement, leadership, and collaboration within a vibrant community dedicated to the study of African development. The Graduate Fellows play an important role in fostering interdisciplinary dialogue, organizing research symposia, and strengthening the intellectual community surrounding African studies at Cornell.

Graduate Fellows 2026-2027

Carmine Couloute - Ph.D. student in Cornell University's Department of Government, concentrating in International Relations and Political Theory. Her doctoral studies will ethnographically examine the enduring impact of French colonialism in Francophone West Africa. She intends to explore how telecommunications boycotts and protests over 'war taxes' facilitate practices of sovereignty and self-determination during political upheaval.

Lois Matthew  - PhD Candidate in Comparative Politics, with minor fields in International Relations and Methods, in the Department of Government at Cornell University. Her research examines how citizens navigate political life under conditions of contested democracy and fractured statehood. 

Edith Mehengu - PhD researcher specializing in crop improvement, seed systems, and sustainable agricultural development. Her work focuses on bridging science and policy to strengthen food security and build resilient farming systems in Sub-Saharan Africa.

Horace Owiti Onyango - PhD Student, Natural Resources and the Environment Section.  His research focuses on small fish species include fishing and processing dynamics; socio-cultural benefits, nutrition and perceptions; market aspects such as supply, demand, prices and distribution channels; and the policy landscape.