The Center for Middle Eastern and North African Studies (CMENAS) is pleased to partner with the African Studies Center (ASC) to expand the University of Michigan African Presidential Scholars (UMAPS) Program to North Africa.
Established in 2009, UMAPS brings early career faculty from African universities to the University of Michigan, where they work closely with U-M faculty collaborators and draw on the university’s research resources to advance their scholarship. The program has welcomed more than 250 scholars and has built a wide-reaching network of researchers and academic partnerships across the continent.
With support from the Office of the Vice Provost for Engaged Learning, the expansion builds on CMENAS’s longstanding scholarship, research expertise, and relationships across the region. For 65 years, CMENAS has connected scholars at Michigan and throughout the Middle East and North Africa through research, teaching, academic exchange, and collaboration. Through this new partnership, CMENAS will help broaden opportunities for scholars from North Africa to engage with the University of Michigan academic community and build lasting research connections.
For the 2027–28 UMAPS cohort, faculty members teaching at colleges or universities in Egypt may apply directly. Scholars from Algeria, Libya, Mauritania, Morocco, Sudan, and Tunisia may participate through nomination by a University of Michigan faculty member with whom they have an established relationship.
Applications are open August 15 through October 15, 2026.
Learn more about UMAPS, eligibility, and the application process.
