Juma Named to Prestigious Positions at Harvard, MIT

Calestous Juma, professor of the practice of international development at Harvard Kennedy School (HKS) and director of the Belfer Center’s Science, Technology, and Globalization project, will have a dual role during the 2014-15 academic year. Juma has been appointed faculty chair of the Edward S. Mason Program at HKS and Dr. Martin Luther King Visiting Professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s Department of Urban Studies and Planning.
As faculty chair of the Mason Program—HKS’s flagship international program—Juma will work with around 90 leaders from developing, newly industrialized, and transitional economy countries for a one-year master’s degree program designed to prepare them to address the world’s most compelling development challenges.
A current Mason Fellow, Unny Sankar, administrative and diplomatic officer from the Government of Malaysia, said, “Prof. Juma’s appointment will immensely benefit HKS. His thoughts and vision will shape policymaking processes among leaders at this school. His passion on science, technology, and environment captivates his listeners and encourages thinking from new dimensions.”
At MIT, Juma will conduct research and advance MIT’s work in the area of science, technology, and sustainable development. He also will teach freshman and doctoral seminars on innovation, entrepreneurship, and development, based on his forthcoming book on the topic.
Juma is internationally recognized for his work on science and technology in sustainable development. A former executive secretary of the UN Convention on Biological Diversity and director of the African Centre for Technology Studies (Nairobi), Juma also directs HKS’s Agricultural Innovation in Africa Project, funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. He has been elected to several prestigious academies, including the Royal Society of London and the World Academy of Sciences.
He is on the jury of the £1 million Queen Elizabeth Prize for Engineering and the Africa Prize for Engineering Innovation.