Fellows
EASST seeks to build the capacity of the “next generation” of East African researchers in experimental design, econometrics, and field-based data collection of anti-poverty programs. EASST supports researchers by offering visiting fellowships for East African social scientists to equip them with the skills and partnerships needed to carry out rigorous evaluations of social or economic development projects in the region.
Launched in 2012, the EASST Visiting Fellowship invites qualified East African researchers to apply for a “sabbatical” at the University of California, Berkeley campus for up to four months during the Fall or Spring semester. Researchers are paired with a CEGA faculty mentor and local PhD student who provide support in research design, quantitative data analysis, proposal writing, and presentation. Selected fellows audit courses, present research, attend seminars, develop curricula and design collaborative research projects. Fellows receive a living stipend, round-trip air travel to Berkeley, CA, and the opportunity to receive seed funding to promote impact evaluation at their home institution in East Africa. The fellowship program has resulted in several successful research collaborations between East African and CEGA researchers, with many of the scholars developing and submitting competitive proposals to the research competition.
Launched in 2012, the EASST Visiting Fellowship invites qualified East African researchers to apply for a “sabbatical” at the University of California, Berkeley campus for up to four months during the Fall or Spring semester. Researchers are paired with a CEGA faculty mentor and local PhD student who provide support in research design, quantitative data analysis, proposal writing, and presentation. Selected fellows audit courses, present research, attend seminars, develop curricula and design collaborative research projects. Fellows receive a living stipend, round-trip air travel to Berkeley, CA, and the opportunity to receive seed funding to promote impact evaluation at their home institution in East Africa. The fellowship program has resulted in several successful research collaborations between East African and CEGA researchers, with many of the scholars developing and submitting competitive proposals to the research competition.
Fall 2017 VISITING FELLOWS
Damazo Kadengye
Fall, 2017
dkadengye@gmail.com
Damazo T. Kadengye, PhD, is a Senior Lecturer of Epidemiology and Biostatistics at Mbarara University of Science and Technology, Mbarara, Uganda. Damazo is a multidisciplinary researcher and Statistician with over 15 years of practice, consultancy and research experience in Educational Sciences and Public Health. He holds a PhD in Applied Statistics in Educational Sciences from the University of Leuven; a Master of Statistics with a specialization in Biostatistics from the University of Hasselt, Belgium; and a Bachelor of Statistics from Makerere University, Kampala, Uganda. During his stay at Berkeley, Damazo will be working on a project to address intimate partner violence to improve maternal health and pregnancy outcomes in Western Uganda through an enhanced couples’ antenatal care model.
Fall, 2017
dkadengye@gmail.com
Damazo T. Kadengye, PhD, is a Senior Lecturer of Epidemiology and Biostatistics at Mbarara University of Science and Technology, Mbarara, Uganda. Damazo is a multidisciplinary researcher and Statistician with over 15 years of practice, consultancy and research experience in Educational Sciences and Public Health. He holds a PhD in Applied Statistics in Educational Sciences from the University of Leuven; a Master of Statistics with a specialization in Biostatistics from the University of Hasselt, Belgium; and a Bachelor of Statistics from Makerere University, Kampala, Uganda. During his stay at Berkeley, Damazo will be working on a project to address intimate partner violence to improve maternal health and pregnancy outcomes in Western Uganda through an enhanced couples’ antenatal care model.
Shibiru Ayalew Melesse
Fall, 2017- Short-term visiting researcher
shibekoo84@gmail.com
Shibiru Ayalew Melesse is currently a PhD candidate in Human Resource Management and Organizational Behavior at Seoul National University, South Korea. He has received a Master of Business Administration (MBA) from Addis Ababa University, Ethiopia. Shibiru is a senior lecturer and researcher at Arsi University, Ethiopia. During his visit, he will be working with CEGA faculty affiliate Ketki Sheth on their ongoing research project "Women Advancement in Ethiopia: Challenges, Consequences, and Mechansims."
Fall, 2017- Short-term visiting researcher
shibekoo84@gmail.com
Shibiru Ayalew Melesse is currently a PhD candidate in Human Resource Management and Organizational Behavior at Seoul National University, South Korea. He has received a Master of Business Administration (MBA) from Addis Ababa University, Ethiopia. Shibiru is a senior lecturer and researcher at Arsi University, Ethiopia. During his visit, he will be working with CEGA faculty affiliate Ketki Sheth on their ongoing research project "Women Advancement in Ethiopia: Challenges, Consequences, and Mechansims."
PAST VISITING FELLOWS
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Michael Mbate
Spring, 2017 michael.mbate@berkeley.edu Michael Mbate is currently a PhD candidate in International Development at the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE), UK. He holds a MSc in Economics from the Paris School of Economics, France, and a BSc in Economics and Statistics from Egerton University, Kenya. His research interest falls mainly on the application of quasi-experimental techniques to shed light on the political economy of development and public sector management in developing countries. During his stay at UC Berkeley he will be focusing on inter-governmental transfers and public service provision in Kenya. His faculty mentor is Frederico Finan, and his peer mentor is Isabelle Cohen. |
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Christine Simiyu
Spring, 2017 csimiyu@berkeley.edu Dr. Christine Simiyu is a Senior Lecturer at KCA University, Kenya. She holds a PhD in Development Economics from National Graduate Institute for Policy Studies (GRIPS), Japan, and a MSc in Statistics from the University of Nairobi, Kenya. Christine is interested on assessing the effectiveness of health and education interventions in Africa. During her time at UC Berkeley Christine will study the effects of reusable sanitary products provision to teenagers in rural Kenya on their school attendance. Her faculty mentor is Sandra McCoy, and her peer mentor is Drew Cameron. |
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Jayne Tusiime
Fall, 2016 jtusiime@berkeley.edu Dr. Jayne Byakika-Tusiime is Head of Department and Senior Lecturer in the Department of Public Health at Busitema University Faculty of Health Sciences in Eastern Uganda. She graduated with a PhD in Epidemiology from UC Berkeley in 2010. Her research for over ten years has been in the field of HIV, particularly studying issues to do with compliance/adherence to antiretroviral medications (ARVs) among HIV infected individuals in Uganda. Jayne is also interested in Neglected Tropical Diseases. As part of her fellowship experience, Jayne designed an evaluation to test the impact of replacing dirt floors in households with solid floors on the frequency of childhood illnesses. Jayne is also developing an Impact Evaluation course to be offered at Busitema University. Her peer mentor was Zach Olson in the department of Health Policy, and her faculty mentor was Paul Gertler. |
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Dagim Belay
Fall, 2016 havaxardag@gmail.com Dagim is currently a PhD candidate of Economics at the Department of Food and Resource Economics at the University of Copenhagen, Denmark. He obtained MSc degree (Cand.Scient.Oecon) in Environmental and Natural Resource Economics from University of Copenhagen and has a BA degree in Economics from University of Gondar, Ethiopia. He also attended in the Msc program, Economics (Economic policy analysis) at Addis Ababa University, Ethiopia. During his stay at UC Berkeley, he was interested in applying impact evaluation techniques to provide insights in health, environment, agriculture, development, and gender empowerment. His faculty mentor was Ethan Ligon, and his PhD mentor was Megan Lang in the department of Agriculture and Resource Economics. |
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Remidius Ruhinduka
Spring, 2016, Short-term visiting researcher rremidius@gmail.com Remidius Ruhinduka is lecturer and research fellow at the Department of Economics, University of Dar es Salaam Tanzania, and holds a PhD in Environmental and Development Economics from the University of Gothenburg, Sweden. His research interest falls mainly on application of experimental economics and Impact evaluation techniques to provide insights to various research problems in developing countries. Specifically, his main research work focuses on linking various experimental behaviours to actual field behaviour of economic agents including (but not limited to) the adoption of improved technologies such as farming technologies and clean energy stoves while also estimating their impacts on overall wellbeing of the agents. |
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Saint Kizito Omala
Fall, 2015 kizyomala@gmail.com Saint Kizito Omala holds a PhD in Applied Statistics from Makerere University, Uganda. Omala works as a Senior Examinations Officer with the National Examinations Board in Uganda. He is also lecturing on Statistical Methods and Psychometrics at Makerere University School of Statistics and Planning, and at the Business School. While at UC Berkeley he is studying the impact of teacher deployment on teacher’s productivity and student achievement in Uganda. His faculty mentors were Fred Finan and Ernesto Dal Bo, and his peer mentor was David Schoenholzer in the department of Economics. |
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Hailemariam Ayalew
Fall, 2015 hailave2000@gmail.com Hailemariam Ayalew is a PhD candidate at the Economics Department in the University of Copenhagen, Denmark. Ayalew obtained MSc degrees in Economic Policy Analysis from Addis Ababa University and University of Copenhagen. He is a Lecturer at Debremarkos University in Ethiopia and works part-time with the World Bank on poverty mapping. During his stay at UC Berkeley he is focusing on spatial market commodity price dispersion and land markets in Ethiopia. His faculty mentor was Elisabeth Sadoulet, and his peer mentor was Daley Kutzman in the department of Agricultural and Resource Economics. |
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Anthony Mveyange
Spring, 2015 amveyange@worldbank.org Anthony Mveyange (Tanzania) completed a PhD in Economics from the University of Southern Denmark, and is currently an Agriculture and Rural Development Economist with the Development Economics Research Group at the World Bank Group. During his time at Berkeley, Anthony a) evaluated the impact of Tanzania's 1998 mining act on regional income inequality and poverty in the country, and b) evaluated the effect of HIV/AIDS on economic growth in sub-Saharan Africa. His faculty mentor was Ted Miguel, and his peer mentor was Jen Kwok in the department of Economics. |
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Fredrick Manang
Spring, 2015 fmanang@gmail.com Fredrick Manang (Tanzania) finished his PhD in Economics at the National Graduate Institute for Policy Studies (GRIPS) in Japan, and is currently a lecturer in Economics at the University of Dodoma. Fred is interested in impact evaluations of health and education interventions, and has researched on the impact of an initiative to build public health facilities in rural areas by the government of Uganda. While at Berkeley he evaluated the impact of access to health facilities in rural Ethiopia. His faculty mentor was Will Dow, and his peer mentor was Zach Olson in the department of Health Services & Policy Analysis. |
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John Bosco Asiimwe
Spring, 2015 asiimweajb@gmail.com John Bosco Asiimwe holds a PhD in Statistics from Makerere University, Uganda. In addition to being a lecturer at Makerere University, John Bosco has worked with a number of Monitoring and Evaluation departments in various organizations as a Consultant or Data Analyst/Manager. While at Berkeley, he studied the impact of village health teams on health outcomes in Uganda. His faculty mentor was David Levine, and his peer mentor was Zach Wagner in the department of Health Services & Policy Analysis. |
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Vedaste Ndahindwa
Fall, 2014 Ndahindwa@gmail.com Vedaste Ndahindwa is a lecturer at the University of Rwanda, College of Medicine and Health Sciences, School of Public Health, and the Director the Medical Research Unit and the Coordinator of the National Health Research Committee in the Medical Research Center Division (RBC). He is a medical doctor and received his MSc in Biostatistics at the Catholic University of Louvain, Belgium. While at Berkeley, he worked on designing an intervention to analyze how the “One Cow Per Poor Household” program in Rwanda can improve family nutrition, childhood education, and crop productivity. His faculty mentor was Paul Gertler in the Haas School of Business, and his peer mentor was Joshua Gruber in the School of Public Health. |
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Alebel Weldesilassie
Spring, 2014 alebel_b@yahoo.com Alebel Weldesilassie is a research fellow at the Ethiopian Development Research Institute (EDRI), a think tank that conducts policy-relevant research and advises the Government of Ethiopia on economic development. He also acts as the Director of the Poverty and Sectoral Research Directorate of the EDRI, as well as an assistant professor at the Addis Ababa University School of Economics. He obtained a PhD in Agricultural and Resource Economics from Hohenheim University, Germany and a MSc. in Economic Policy Analysis from Addis Ababa University and BSc. in Agricultural Economics from Alemaya University. At Berkeley he is taking coursework on impact evaluation and the intersection of psychology and economics. He is also implementing an EASST funded research project with Jonathan Robinson and Brian Giera at the University of California, Santa Cruz. |
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Annet Adong
Fall, 2013 annetteadong@yahoo.com Annet Adong is currently a Junior Researcher and Doctoral candidate at the Center for Development Research (ZEF), University of Bonn and was an EASST fellow in the fall of 2013. Prior to that she was a Research Analyst at Economic Policy Research Center. While at Berkeley, she looked at novel sale offers for established farm inputs in Uganda, understand what misconceptions exist and whether different sales offers impede adoption of technologies. Annet holds a Bachelor in Science in Agriculture Economics from Makerere University Uganda and a Master in Development and Natural Resource Economics from University of Life Sciences Norway. |
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Samuel Oti
Fall, 2013 dr.otisamuel@gmail.com Samuel Oti is a Senior Program Specialist for the Food, Environment and Health (FEH) program at the International Development Research Center (IDRC). Prior to joining IDRC, he was a Senior Research Officer and epidemiologist at the African Population and Health Research Center (APHRC) based in Kenya. He holds a PhD in Philosophy in Public Health from the University of Amsterdam, the Netherlands. While at Berkeley, he studied the effectiveness of various community-based interventions at preventing or reducing the incidence of cardiovascular diseases in the slums of Nairobi. His faculty mentor was Will Dow, and his peer mentor was Janelle Downing in the School of Public Health. |
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Jeanine Condo
Spring, 2013 jcondo@nursph.org Jeanine Condo is Director General of the Rwanda Biomedical Center. She is a co-author with CEGA affiliate Paul Gertler on a randomized evaluation of performance-based financing in health care facilities in Rwanda. While at Berkeley, she advanced her research on understanding how households with individuals living with HIV or AIDS are affected by pay-for-performance schemes. Jeanine obtained her PhD in Public Health from Tulane, and her MD from the National University of Rwanda. |
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Amos Njuguna
Spring, 2013 amnjuguna@usiu.ac.ke Amos Njuguna is an Assistant Professor of Finance at the United States International University in Kenya. He obtained his PhD in Business Administration from Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University in South Africa. While at Berkeley he evaluated policies that influence savings, pension and alcohol production and consumption. His faculty mentor was Will Dow. |
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Constantine Manda
Fall, 2012 constantinemanda@gmail.com Constantine Manda is currently pursuing a PhD in Political Economy at Yale University. Previously, he was the Senior Research Analyst at Twaweza, where he managed randomized controlled trials in education. He obtained his Master’s degree in Public Policy, with a focus in economics, from the University of Chicago. While at Berkeley, he was interested in exploring behavior change interventions in public health. His faculty mentor was Ted Miguel, and his peer mentor was PhD student Angeli Kirk in the department of Agricultural and Resource Economics. |
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Fitsum Mulugeta
Fall, 2012 fitsumz@gmail.com Fitsum Mulugeta is a Field Coordinator at the World Bank for the impact evaluation project of the Ethiopian Social Accountability Program II (ESAP II). Prior to this he was a Junior Research Fellow at the Ethiopian Economics Association/Ethiopian Economic Policy Research Institute. Fitsum obtained his Master’s degree in Economics from Addis Ababa University and is pursuing a Masters in Developmental Psychology. His previous researches covered health, migration, gender and education. As an EASST Visiting Scholar, he proposed to investigate higher education policy in Ethiopia and interventions to improve education quality. His faculty mentor was Jeremy Magruder, and his peer mentor was Pierre Bachas in the department of Economics. |
