UK statistics professor selected to work with Addis Ababa University

LEXINGTON, Ky. (March 29, 2023) —  Solomon Harrar, a professor in the Dr. Bing Zhang Department of Statistics in the University of Kentucky College of Arts and Sciences, has been awarded a fellowship by the Carnegie African Diaspora Fellowship Program (CADFP) to travel to Ethiopia to work with Addis Ababa University (AAU) on teaching, mentoring and research collaboration for Ph.D. training in statistics.

Harrar will spend two months in Ethiopia from May 15 to July 14, 2023, working with his host, Eshetu Wencheko, Ph.D, in reevaluating and revising the Ph.D. curriculum, offering workshops and seminars, initiating mentoring relationships with junior faculty members, and strengthening the existing research collaborations between UK and AAU's statistics department. AAU is responsible for creating the manpower and developing the statistical research capacity for at least 30 universities in Ethiopia that have degree programs in statistics. As the flagship university of the country, AAU plays a significant role in the development of the nation's education and research.

"I am honored to represent the University of Kentucky in this outreach effort and encourage other members of the African diaspora to take advantage of CADFP," Harrar said. "I am eager to share my expertise in teaching statistics graduate courses, mentoring, and supervising dissertations. Furthermore, I plan to deliver seminars on my latest research and provide guidance on how to enhance doctoral programs in statistics."

The AAU project is one of 63 newly funded projects that pair African Diaspora scholars with higher education institutions and collaborators in Africa to work together on curriculum co-development, collaborative research, graduate training and mentoring activities in 2023.

The Carnegie African Diaspora Fellowship Program is now in its 10th year and is designed to strengthen capacity at the host institutions and develop long-term, mutually-beneficial collaborations between universities in Africa and the United States and Canada. It is funded by Carnegie Corporation of New York and managed by the Institute of International Education (IIE) in collaboration with the Association of African Universities, with the aim of turning the continent's “brain drain” into “brain gain.”

Nearly 600 African Diaspora Fellowships have now been awarded for scholars to travel to Africa since the program’s inception in 2013. Fellowships match host universities with African-born scholars and cover the expenses for project visits of between 14 and 90 days.

See a full list of newly selected projects, hosts and scholars.