Winter 2024 Cohort

Chinasa Abonyi is a lecturer in the Department of English and Literary Studies, University of Nigeria, Nsukka, Nigeria. She holds a Ph.D. in gender studies and eco-poetics from the same institution. Abonyi specializes in eco-poetics and ecofeminist theorization of the environment, and her passion for decoloniality of knowledge and indigenous consciousness is foregrounded in her multidisciplinary approaches to the study of African oral narratives and modern literature. She is also a poet whose first poem, “Moribund,” appeared in African Literature Today. She is a fellow of the Ife Institute of Advanced Studies, a member of the African Literature Association, and a member of the Association of the Study of Literature and Environment. She is presently a postdoctoral fellow at the University of Ghana, Accra. At U-M, she will work with Professor Gaurav Desai in the Department of English Language and Literature, College of Literature, Science, and the Arts.

Benyin Akande is a lecturer in the Department of Political Science at the University of Calabar in Nigeria. She has an MA degree in public administration from the University of Uyo, Nigeria, where she also just completed her Ph.D. Her research interests are in public policy, gender, and conflict studies. Her work has earned her a number of research fellowships, including a 2019 Next Gen Fellowship of the Social Science Research Council, and a 2023-2024 African Fellow of the Harry Frank Guggenheim Foundation. At U-M, she will be working with Professor Joyojeet Pal from the School of Information to conduct research on theoretical frameworks and contemporary literature about women in secessionist movements through the lens of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) in South-East Nigeria.

Sisty Basil, a native of Tanzania, is the founding executive director of ELICO Foundation, a local non-governmental organization dedicated to addressing enduring energy challenges in remote areas across Tanzania and beyond. Sisty has extensive experience working with various environmental and renewable energy institutions and companies. His expertise encompasses initiatives in renewable energy, climate change programs, and electric mobility. Basil has provided advisory services on renewable energy issues to a diverse array of stakeholders. He holds an MSc in environmental management (energy) from Pan African University, Life and Earth Sciences Institute in Nigeria, and certificates in energy technology and policy and energy subsidy reform from the University of Texas in Austin. He is currently a Ph.D. candidate at the Technical University of Berlin in Germany. At U-M, Basil will work with Professor Kelly Askew in the Department of Anthropology, College of Literature, Science, and the Arts, on a project titled “Last Mile Energy Access in Rural Tanzania.”

Makai Daniel is a lecturer at the Federal University Wukari. He is currently a Ph.D. student of history at the University of Nigeria Nsukka and holds an MA in African history from the University of Ibadan in Nigeria. He is a member of the Historical Society of Nigeria (HSN), a research fellow, and a 2015 IFRA-Nigeria research grant awardee. Daniel’s research focus is on Pentecostalism and the Contest for Public Space in Northern Nigeria from 1970 – 2020. At U-M, Daniel will work with Professor Adrian Deese in the Department of Afroamerican and African Studies, College of Literature, Science, and the Arts. 

Muthumuni Managa is a senior lecturer at the Institute for Nanotechnology and Water Sustainability (iNanoWS) at the University of South Africa (UNISA). She holds a Ph.D. from Rhodes University, South Africa. Her research interests include the synthesis of nanomaterials that could be applied in antimicrobial photodynamic inactivation (aPDI). At the University of Michigan, Managa will be working with Professor Theo Goodson (Department of Chemistry, College of Literature, Science and the Arts, and Macromolecular Science and Engineering Program, College of Engineering).

Tintswalo Victoria Nesengani is a lecturer of primary care nursing at the University of Pretoria in South Africa. She holds a Ph.D. in community nursing science from the University of Johannesburg. She obtained her diploma in nursing at Gazankulu Nursing College, her BA in nursing at the North-West University (NWU), her honor’s and master’s degree in nursing at the University of South Africa, and a diploma in primary health care at Ann Latsky Nursing College. Prior to her current position, she was a community platform coordinator at Nelson Mandela University and has a wealth of experience working as a primary health care nurse in public health clinics. At U-M, she will work with faculty host Professor Massy Mutumba in the School of Nursing.

Jean de Dieu Niyigena is an assistant lecturer in applied mathematics at the University of Rwanda. He holds an MA in applied mathematics, specializing in statistics, from the University of Rwanda. Additionally, he obtained a BA in mathematical sciences from the African Institute for Mathematical Sciences (AIMS) in Tanzania. Currently, he is pursuing a Ph.D. in mathematics (applied statistics) at the University of Rwanda. His research interests primarily lie in epidemiological mathematical modeling of infectious diseases and mathematical statistics. During his time at U-M, he will be working on a project titled "Mathematical Models of COVID-19 Dynamics using Machine Learning Techniques: Case of Rwanda" under the guidance of Professor Bhramar Mukherjee from the Department of Biostatistics, School of Public Health.

Allan Omondi is a lecturer in the School of Computing and Engineering Sciences (SCES) at Strathmore University, Nairobi, Kenya. He holds a Ph.D. from the same institution. His current research interest is in impact-driven applications of information and communication technologies for sustainable community development. He is a member of the Database Research Group and the group leader of the ICT4D Research Group, both at Strathmore University's School of Computing and Engineering Sciences. His other research interests include database theory, business intelligence, business processes, performance tuning, business continuity, high availability and disaster recovery, decision theory, economic history, epidemiology, and sustainable community development. At U-M, Omondi will work with Professor Panos Papalambros in the College of Engineering.

Hanna Teklu Gebregziabher is an obstetrician and gynecologist and a family planning and reproductive health senior fellow at St. Paul’s Hospital Millennium Medical College, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Dr. Teklu’s research emphasis is on providing comprehensive reproductive health care to women of all backgrounds and needs. She has a special interest in providing and conducting research on contraceptives, abortion care, and post-abortion care. Teklu is a member of the Ethiopian Society of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ESOG) and the East, Central, and Southern African College of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Community of Practice (ECSACOG-COP), imparting professional experience and knowledge. Teklu completed her medical degree at Hawassa University, Ethiopia, and residency training at Black Lion Hospital, Addis Ababa University, Ethiopia.

Nixon Wamamela is a lecturer in the Department of Philosophy at Makerere University in Kampala, Uganda. He holds an MA and a Ph.D. in philosophy, also from Makerere University. His research interests are in the areas of jurisprudence and political philosophy. At the University of Michigan, Wamamela will be hosted by Professor Mariah Zeisberg, Department of Political Science, College of Literature, Science, and the Arts, on a research project titled “Assessing Ethics in Judicial Electoral Petitions in Uganda.”

Ayalnesh Zemene is a senior lecturer at St. Paul’s Hospital Millennium Medical College, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. She received her MSc in reproductive and maternal health from Addis Ababa University. Currently, she is pursuing her Ph.D. in reproductive health at Pan African University, University of Ibadan, Nigeria. While at U-M, she will work with Professor Sarah Compton (Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Medical School) on a project entitled “Unintended Pregnancy in Ethiopia: Predictors and Adverse Consequences on Maternal and Child Healthcare Services Utilization.”