Speakers
IDS offers its cohort the chance to hear from a variety of people working in the field of international development, including researchers, graduate students, teachers, and public servants among others. Speakers share their perspectives on topics in international development, opportunities to get involved with this field at UChicago, and advice on how to chart a career in this space.
2022-2023
MALIHA CHISHTI
Research Associate at the Pearson Institute for the Study and Resolution of Global Conflicts
6th April 2023
Dr Chishti’s research focuses on examining the international-local encounter in peacebuilding, security and development, and gender and human rights. Her current work explores the policis of pluralism and difference in war-affected contexts, focusing on the theoretical limitations to promoting long-lasting peace and security in non-Western contexts. Dr. Chishti also has extensive practitioner experience and previously served as Director of the Hague Appeal for Peace at the United Nations
Heena Mohammed
Fulbright Scholar and MPP Candidate at the Harris School of Public Policy
ROSALYN KUTSCH
Fulbright Scholar and MBA/MPP Candidate at the Booth School of Business and Harris School of Public Policy
23 February 2022
Both Heena and Rosalyn are highly distinguished and accomplished scholars and were the keynote speakers at IDS’ second Career Journeys Panel. As students at UChicago’s esteemed graduate schools, they shared their experiences working and studying in the field of international development as well as the role played by competitive scholarships in their personal, academic, and professional growth. Students attending learnt about how to prepare for competitive scholarships, the most impactful skills, and early career paths and opportunities especially at UChicago’s seven development-related institutes.
BENJAMIN KRAUSE
Executive Director, Development Innovation Lab
16th October 2022
Dr Krause’s research focuses on government management and state and institutional formation in weak states and ungoverned spaces. Dr Krause has over twenty years of experience in the international development space and has been involved in academia, development and nonprofit management, and humanitarian work in nearly three dozen countries, founding several organizations in the social sector.
2021-2022
REBECCA WOLFE
Senior Lecturer at the Harris School of Public Policy and Executive Director of International Policy & Development
14th April 2022
Professor Wolfe joined us for a special lecture on humanitarian intervention. She studies political violence, conflict and violent extremism. She has developed conflict prevention and violence reduction programs globally, including Kenya’s largest youth development program, gang violence prevention in Guatemala City, countering violent extremism programs in Nigeria and Yemen, and community-based conflict management interventions in Iraq, Syria, Sri Lanka, Indonesia and Tajikistan through her work at Mercy Corp. Additionally, she is an associate at the Pearson Institute for the Study and Resolution of Global Conflicts.
JUSTIN BERG
Princeton in Asia Scholar and MPP Candidate at the UChicago Harris School of Public Policy
ROSALYN KUTSCH
Fulbright Scholar and MBA/MPP Candidate at the UChicago Booth School of Business and Harris School of Public Policy
23 February 2022
Both Justin and Rosalyn are highly distinguished and accomplished scholars and were the keynote speakers at IDS’ first Career Journeys Panel. As students at UChicago’s esteemed graduate schools, they shared their experiences working and studying in the field of international development as well as the role played by competitive scholarships in their personal, academic, and professional growth. Students attending learnt about how to prepare for competitive scholarships, the most impactful skills, and early career paths and opportunities especially at UChicago’s seven development-related institutes.
Rebecca Wolfe
Senior Lecturer at the Harris School of Public Policy and Executive Director of International Policy & Development
4th November 2021
Professor Rebecca Wolfe studies political violence, conflict and violent extremism. She has developed conflict prevention and violence reduction programs globally, including Kenya’s largest youth development program, gang violence prevention in Guatemala City, countering violent extremism programs in Nigeria and Yemen, and community-based conflict management interventions in Iraq, Syria, Sri Lanka, Indonesia and Tajikistan through her work at Mercy Corp. Additionally, she is an associate at the Pearson Institute for the Study and Resolution of Global Conflicts.
CHRIS BLATTMAN
Romalee E. Pearson Professor of Global Conflict Studies at the UChicago Harris School of Public Policy
20th October 2021
Professor Blattman works with governments and civil society to design and test approaches to reduce violence and poverty. He leads the Peace & Recovery program at Innovation Poverty Action (IPA) and the Crime and Violence Initiative at MIT’s Poverty Action Lab. He is an affiliate at the National Bureau for Economic Research, UChicago Urban Labs, the Center for Global Development, and the International Growth Center. He studies poverty, political engagement, the causes and consequences of violence, and policy in developing countries, and has worked in Sub-Saharan Africa and Latin America.
James Robinson
The Reverend Dr. Richard L. Pearson Professor of Global Conflict Studies at UChicago
14th October 2021
Professor Robinson is the co-author of Why Nations Fail and the director of the Pearson Institute for Global Conflict Studies. He is also an advisor to the World Bank. Professor Robinson studies the underlying relationship between poverty and the institutions of a society and how institutions emerge out of political conflicts.
2020-2021
Hilary Benn
Member of Parliament and former Shadow Foreign Secretary
19th February 2021
Hilary is a well-known and highly-regarded Member of Parliament in the UK. His board experience includes stints as Secretary of State for International Development from 2003-2007 and Shadow Foreign Secretary from 2015-2016. Benn is known for his successful campaigns to secure debt relief for the world’s poorest countries, various international peace negotiations, and disputes with the Bush administration over development policy.
Lindiwe Matlali
Founder of Africa Teen Geeks
12th February 2021
Lindiwe is the Founder and CEO of Africa Teen Geeks; an NGO that teaches kids how to code. She is currently studying towards an MS in Technology Management from Columbia University in New York as well as a Graduate Certificate in Entrepreneurship and Innovation at Stanford University. She was named the 2020 Social Innovator of the year by the Schwab Foundation, a sister company of the World Economic Forum for her work in improving STEM education in Africa.
Dean Karlan
Professor of Economics and Finance at Northwestern University and Co-Director of the Global Poverty Research Lab at the Buffet Institute for Global Studies
4th February 2021
Professor Karlan’s research focuses on microeconomic issues of poverty, employing experimental methodologies and behavioral economics insights to examine interventions in sustainable income generation. He is the recipient of the Guggenheim Fellowship for Social Sciences and is the founder of Innovations for Poverty Action (IPA), a nonprofit organization aimed at promoting solutions to global poverty issues.
Woochong Um
Director-General of the Sustainable Development and Climate Change at the Asian Development Bank
27th January 2021
Mr. Um leads the ADB-wide knowledge management and innovation work in various thematic areas (climate change, environment, gender, social development, governance, food security, regional cooperation, fragile and conflict-affected situations, and digital technology) and sectors (infrastructure, health, education, and finance).
Dhruva Bhat
Rhodes Scholar; Doctoral student at Oxford University’s Department of International Development
22th January 2021
Bhat earned his B.A. in Economics before attending Oxford for his Master’s in Philosophy. Previously head coach of the Indian National Debating Team and intern at the Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab, Bhat focuses on development research and strategy consulting.
Michael Kremer
Nobel Laureate in Economics, Professor at the College and the Harris School of Public Policy
19th November 2020
Professor Kremer was the winner of the 2019 Nobel Prize in Economics for his research on poverty alleviation. He is the Founding Director of the Development Innovation Lab at the Becker Friedman Institute for Economics, and put forward the O-Ring Theory of Economic Development. In his research, Professor Kremer has established the use of randomized controlled trials, particularly in the fields of education and healthcare.
James Robinson
The Reverend Dr. Richard L. Pearson Professor of Global Conflict Studies at UChicago
16th October 2020
Professor Robinson is the co-author of Why Nations Fail and the director of the Pearson Institute for Global Conflict Studies. He is also an advisor to the World Bank. Professor Robinson studies the underlying relationship between poverty and the institutions of a society and how institutions emerge out of political conflicts.
Chris Blattman
Romalee E. Pearson Professor of Global Conflict Studies at the UChicago Harris School of Public Policy
28th September 2020
Professor Blattman studies conflict, crime, and poverty and has worked in sub-Saharan Africa and Latin America. He is affiliated with the Pearson Institute, JPAL, NBER, Deloitte, and the Center for Global Development