Mary Adebayo is a Doctoral Candidate in Economics at the University of Zululand, where her research sits at the intersection of climate change, financial stability and macroeconomic policies in African economies. She holds a B.Sc. and an M.Sc. in Economics from Caleb University, where her earlier work examined service-sector growth and the relationship between foreign direct investment and economic expansion in West Africa.

Her doctoral research asks how macroeconomic policy can insulate the financial sector from the risks posed by climate change, with a focus on the design and effectiveness of green-adjusted macroprudential tools that reconcile environmental sustainability with financial resilience. A related strand of her work shows that green-growth policies can strengthen human capital, suggesting that environmental and developmental goals need not be in tension. Her methodological toolkit centres on DSGE modelling alongside applied econometric analysis. Beyond her core research, Mary takes part in community engagement through the University of Zululand's Climate Research Group, and her broader aim is to inform policy that protects vulnerable populations while advancing sustainable development across the continent.

Athanas Mutisya Peter is a Doctoral student at the Department of Literature, University of Nairobi. He holds a masters of Arts (Literature) and a Bachelor of Education Arts (Linguistics and Literature), both from the University of Nairobi. He works as a Graduate assistant at the University of Nairobi and he is also an assistant lecturer at the South Eastern Kenya University and Umma University. He is currently finalizing his dissertation titled "Narrating Violence and Peace: War Memory in Selected Ex-Child Soldiers’ Autobiographies from Africa." His research interests include cultural studies, women and gender studies, war literature, memory and trauma studies.

Brenda Birungi is a doctoral candidate at Makerere University, department of Sociology and Anthropology where she is enrolled for PhD in Social Anthropology. Brenda holds a Masters in Sociology from Makerere university, and a Bachelors of Arts in Social Sciences from Makerere University. She has a keen interest in refugees, humanitarian assistance and crossborder mobilities. Her previous studies include; informal cross-border transportation, impacts of COVID-19 and humanitarian aid among the urban refugees in Kampala, more specifically the South Sudanese and witchcraft (in)securities among urban refugees. Currently, Brenda is researching settlement-based South Sudanese refugees, through her doctoral study “Receiving Cash Amidst Competing Norms: The case of Breastfeeding South Sudanese Refugees in Bidi-bidi Settlement, Uganda.” In this study, she explores how breastfeeding South Sudanese navigate their cultural norms to receive cash transfer assistance.

Roselyne Karegi Mutura is a PhD student in the Department of Literature at the University of Nairobi, where she also serves as an auxiliary lecturer. She holds a Bachelor of Education (Arts) degree and a Master of Arts in Literature from Kenyatta University. Her academic and professional journey reflects a strong commitment to literary studies, with a particular focus on postcolonial literature, trauma studies and cultural memory. Her ongoing doctoral research, titled “Reconstruction of the Self: Narration of the Trauma of (Post) Colonialism and Recovery in Ngugi wa Thiong’o’s Fiction,” explores the intersections of trauma, healing, and narrative representation in postcolonial literature. Through both her teaching and research, Ms. Mutura contributes to critical conversations on trauma, memory, resistance, reconstruction and the enduring effects of colonialism and neocolonialism in African societies.

Mussie Sewnet Melesse is a PhD candidate in Development Studies at the Institute for Social Development, University of the Western Cape, South Africa. His doctoral research focuses on food security, livelihood strategies, and the quality of life of refugees in Western Ethiopia. He holds an MSc in Food Security and Development Studies from Addis Ababa University, Ethiopia. With over two decades of professional experience, Mussie has held senior roles in monitoring, evaluation, and planning across prominent organizations in Ethiopia, including the Ethiopian Red Cross Society, the Ethiopian Academy of Sciences, and the Ethiopian Public Health Institute, and has additionally accumulated substantial experience in healthcare services. He has co-authored publications in peer-reviewed journals, including a 2025 article in Health SA Gesondheid, and his MSc thesis has been published in the Ethiopian Journal of Development Research. He also contributed to the Ethiopian National Food and Nutrition Survey, which informs the Ethiopian National Food and Nutrition Strategy. His doctoral research is conducted under Workstream 3 of the Migration and Food Security in the Global South (MiFOOD) Project. He is a fellow of the DAAD In-Region Scholarship Program starting from 2024.

Nomphumelelo Babeli is a PhD candidate in the Department of Political and International Studies at Rhodes University. Her doctoral research focuses on the agency, trajectories, and everyday experiences of retired women ambassadors to explore how women have shaped post-apartheid South African foreign policy. Additionally, she is a lecturer in the Extended Studies Unit, which is part of the Centre for Higher Education Research, Teaching, and Learning (CHERTL).

Nomphumelelo holds a Master of Social Science degree with distinction in Political and International Studies. She co-authored an article titled "The Politics of Knowledge in South African Universities: Students' Perspectives." In 2022, she and her co-author received an award for their essay "Let the Walls Crumble" in the Dr. Phyllis Ntantala and Prudence Mabele creative writing competition.

Her research interests include International Relations and Diplomacy, Foreign Policy, Women in Peace and Security (WPS), as well as the narratives and experiences of women.