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People

More than 40 IAD-affiliated faculty from across Cornell conduct research and teach courses related to African development, and more than 300 IAD graduate fellows now work in government, NGOs, academic institutions, and international organizations on the African continent—a testament to the institute's diverse constituency and impact.

Former Director, Einaudi Center
Rachel Beatty Riedl served as the Einaudi Center's director from 2019 to 2024.
Professor, Division of Nutritional Sciences

David E. Sahn is an international professor of economics in the Division of Nutritional Sciences and the Department of Economics. Since 2015, he has been a research fellow at the Institute for the Study of Labor in Bonn, Germany.

Assistant Professor, Department of History

Rachel Sandwell is an historian of modern Africa and transnational solidarity movements, with a focus on late decolonization, national liberation movements, and international support for national liberation movements.

Senior Program Manager

Jackie Sayegh is the senior program manager for the Institute for African Development and the Latin American and Caribbean Studies Program.

Associate Professor, City and Regional Planning
Stephan Schmidt's research interests concern land-use policy, patterns, and processes.
Professor Emeritus, Chemistry

Dotsevi Sogah's research covers the design and synthesis of new polymers, preparation of protein-based polymers, and application of living polymerization methods to surface functionalization of nanoparticles and carbon nanotubes.

Professor, Law
Chantal Thomas directs the Clarke Initiative for Law and Development in the Middle East and North Africa at Cornell Law School. She is a 2021–22 Global Public Voices fellow.
H. E. Babcock Professor of Economics Emeritus

Erik Thorbecke is the H. E. Babcock Professor of Economics and Food Economics Emeritus and former director of the Program on Comparative Economic Development at Cornell University.

Professor, Public and Ecosystem Health

Alexander Travis is director of the Master of Public Health program in the College of Veterinary Medicine. His research explores a diverse set of subjects related to one health: interdisciplinary work that links the functions and well-being of people, animals, and the environment.

Regional Scholar Affiliate

Judith Van Allen is a Regional Scholar Affiliate at the Institute for African Development at Cornell University and a long-time activist-scholar. She received her B.A from Stanford University and her Ph.D. from the University of California, Berkeley, in political science and political theory.