The African Studies Center (ASC) recently welcomed ten early and mid-career scholars from universities in Rwanda, Kenya, Nigeria, Ghana, Uganda, and South Africa to the Ann Arbor campus. They constitute the fall cohort of the U-M African Presidential Scholars (UMAPS) and will remain in residence through the end of December.
Established in 2009, UMAPS is the university’s flagship program for engagement with colleges and universities on the African continent. The highly competitive program attracts applications from scholars in all disciplines working at universities and colleges across the continent. Through the integration of UMAPS fellows into the ASC and U-M community, including the home departments of their U-M collaborators, these scholars make invaluable contributions to social and academic life in Ann Arbor during their tenure on campus and beyond.
The UMAPS fellows in the fall cohort presented their research to the campus community in three research symposiums on October 18th, 29th, and November 1st, 2024. They are:
Atilola Olateju AbidemiIromini holds a PhD in fisheries management from the Federal University of Technology, Akure (FUTA) in Nigeria. She is currently a researcher and lecturer at FUTA in the Fisheries and Aquaculture Technology Department, School of Agriculture and Agricultural Technology. Her research interests focus on aquatic ecosystem health, the protection of fish health status, the rational utilization of resources, conservation, and food security. At U-M, Abidemi-Iromini will work with faculty host Nancy Love (Civil Environmental Engineering, School of Engineering) on a project examining the allelopathic purification potential of selected aquatic macrophytes against cynobacteria growth and ammonium in freshwater environments.
Stella Antwiwaa is a lecturer in the Department of Classics and Philosophy at the University of Cape Coast, Ghana. She was awarded a GerdaHenkel Stiftung Foundation Doctoral Studies Scholarship to pursue a PhD in literature from Makerere University, Uganda, which she completed in May 2022. Her research interests are in Greek tragedy and Ghanaian literature, where she investigates Greek tragedy’s relevance to Ghanaian literary works and diverse cultural experiences, especially in pre- and postcolonial African societies. She also explores the cultural dynamics in the roles and status of women and children in the two distinct cultures and applies postcolonial lenses and feminist theories to reveal the importance or otherwise of the classics to contemporary Ghanaian/African societies. At U-M, Antwiwaa will work with Arthur Verhoogt (Classical Studies, LSA) to examine gender ideologies and rhetoric through comparative analyses of works such as Medea, Andromache, Anowa, Alcestis, and In the Chest of a Woman.
Ayisha Ida Baffoe-Ashun is a lecturer in the Department of Architecture at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), Ghana. She holds a PhD in architecture and a Master of Architecture degree from KNUST, Ghana. She currently teaches in the areas of architectural history and theory, (IDCPPA), University of Cape Town in South Africa. Her research interests are in the areas of urban green infrastructure and architecture history and theory. At U-M, Baffoe-Ashun will conduct a study on the dynamics of residential green infrastructure distribution in Ghana, and will be hosted by Kuukuwa O Manful (Architecture, Taubman College of Architecture & Urban Planning).
Oluwanifemi Damilola Bamidele-Nelly obtained her Bachelor of Arts degree in English studies from the University of Ibadan, Ibadan, Nigeria. Her research and teaching focus on interrogating gender issues in African literature from various feminist, social, and cultural standpoints in ways that project and alleviate the plights of African females. Her current work investigates portrayals of female body image in contemporary Nigerian novels and popular culture. At U-M, Bamidele-Nelly will work with faculty host Supriya Nair (English Language and Literature, LSA).
Faith Neema Benson is a data and machine learning scientist currently pursuing a PhD fellowship at Aga Khan University in Nairobi, Kenya. Her research focuses on developing and validating machine learning techniques to predict poor early childhood developmental outcomes and maternal mental health disorders, aiming to identify at-risk children for early intervention. Benson’s faculty host at U-M will be Cheryl A. Moyer (Learning Health Sciences, Michigan Medicine).
Emmanuel Iyamuremye is an assistant lecturer of mathematics at the University of Rwanda’s College of Education. Currently, he is a PhD student in mathematics education at the African Centre of Excellence for Innovative Teaching and Learning of Mathematics and Science (ACEITLMS) in Rwanda. At U-M, Iyamuremye will work with faculty host Dan Burns (Mathematics, LSA) on a project examining how teaching mathematics using a concrete-pictorial-abstract approach can reduce mathematics anxiety and improve motivation and mathematics achievement in secondary schools in Rwanda.
Anatoli Lwassampijja is an assistant lecturer and a GerdaHenkel Stiftung PhD fellow in the Department of History, Archaeology, and Heritage Studies at Makerere University in Uganda. His research focuses on Uganda’s socio-political history, specifically examining the historical events that have shaped public life in post-colonial Uganda. Anatoli’s doctoral research specifically centers on the relations between the Catholic Church and the state since 1960. At U-M, Lwassampijja will work with faculty host Adrian Deese (Afroamerican and African Studies, LSA) on his dissertation examining the intricate history of church-state relations in post-independence Uganda.
Oswald Martin is a Tanzanian PhD student at the Institute for Democracy, Citizenship and Public Policy in Africa and an assistant with Afrobarometer, a leading non-partisan and pan-African research institution that conducts public opinion surveys on democracy, governance, the economy, and society in 30+ African countries. Martin’s PhD research examines individual-level and contextual predictors of voter turnout in Tanzania and implications for democratic consolidation. He will work on his dissertation at U-M under the guidance of faculty host Anne Pitcher (Political Science, LSA).
Mooketsi M. Molefi is an epidemiologist and biostatistician, currently working as a senior lecturer in the Department of Family Medicine & Public Health at the University of Botswana. At U-M, Molefi will work with Douglas J. Wiebe (Epidemiology, School of Public Health) on a project titled “Exploring Sports-Related Concussions in Botswana: A Concept Note.”
Richard Nsengiyumva is a second-year PhD student and academic staff member working as an assistant lecturer in the Midwifery department at the University of Rwanda’s College of Medicine and Health Sciences. His PhD project focuses on reproductive health and preconception education before marriage. In this project, Nsengiyumva wants to develop an educational toolkit and software that will enable healthcare providers to provide adequate education to premarital couples. At U-M, Nsengiyumva will work with Jody Lori (Health Behavior and Biological Sciences, School of Nursing).
