Cyril Obi is Program Director for the African Peacebuilding and Developmental Dynamics (APDD), bringing his extensive research, networking, and publishing experience on African peace, security, and development to the Council. After completing his doctoral studies in Political Science at the University of Lagos, Nigeria, he joined the Nigerian Institute of International Affairs (NIIA) and was promoted to associate research professor in 2004. That same year, Dr. Obi was awarded the Claude Ake Visiting Chair at the Department of Peace and Conflict Research at the University of Uppsala, Sweden. From 2005 to 2011, he was a senior researcher and led the research cluster on "Conflict, Displacement and Transformation" at the Nordic Africa Institute (NAI) in Uppsala. He has received academic awards and fellowships from the Council for the Development of Social Science Research in Africa (CODESRIA) in Dakar, Senegal; the Social Science Research Council (SSRC); Africa Studies Center (ASC), Leiden; St. Antony's College, University of Oxford; 21st Century Trust; Salzburg Seminar; and the Nordic Africa Institute (NAI). Dr. Obi is currently a research associate of the Department of Political Sciences, University of Pretoria, South Africa; a visiting scholar to the Institute of African Studies (IAS), Columbia University; and an adjunct professor at the Graduate Center of the City University of New York (CUNY). Dr. Obi serves on the editorial boards of several reputable journals, including African Affairs, African and Asian Studies, African Conflict and Peacebuilding Review, African Security Review, Brazilian Journal of African Studies, International Political Science Review, Governance in Africa Strategic Review for Southern Africa, and Ubuntu: Journal of Conflict Transformation. He is also an international contributing editor to the Review of African Political Economy and serves on the Zed Books Africa editorial advisory board. Dr. Obi is also a member of the Board of Directors of the African Studies Association (ASA) and the International Advisory Board of the International Panel on Exiting Violence (IPEV), Paris. His publications include The Rise of China and India in Africa: Challenges, Opportunities and Critical Interventions (Zed Books, 2010), with Fantu Cheru; Oil and Insurgency in the Niger Delta: Managing the Complex Politics of Petro-Violence (Zed Books, 2011), with Siri Aas Rustad; and a special issue of the African Conflict and Peacebuilding Review on the African Peace and Security Architecture (APSA) (Indiana University Press, 2014), with T. Tieku and L. Scorgie-Porter. He has also contributed articles to the following peer-reviewed journals: Review of African Political Economy (2014), Extractive Industries and Society (2014), and South African Journal of International Affairs (2015). Dr. Obi recently contributed a chapter, "Understanding the Resource Curse Effect: Instability and Violent Conflict in Africa," to Minding the Gap: Conflict Management in a Time of Change, edited by Pamela Aall and Chester Crocker (CIGI, 2016).

Olu Adenekan is Program Manager for African Peacebuilding and Developmental Dynamics (APDD) at the Social Science Research Council. Olu holds an MS degree in Global Affairs, from New York University (NYU) where she conducted extensive research on African affairs, peacebuilding, security, and international development. She also holds a BS in Communications from the University of Lagos. Prior to joining SSRC, Olu supported various non-profit organizations including the United Nations, Women’s Environment and Development Organization (WEDO), Tällberg Foundation, David Rockefeller Fund, and most recently The Jed Foundation (JED) where she served in advocacy and government relations. She brings her dynamic experience in administration, program management, communications, and strategic partnerships in both the United States and Africa to the SSRC

Kate Theriault is a Program Associate for the African Peacebuilding and Developmental Dynamics (APDD). Kate was born and raised in the San Francisco Bay Area and recently graduated with a BA in Political Science and Geography from the University of British Columbia. She is passionate about working on interdisciplinary and collaborative projects addressing systemic injustices and the disproportionate impacts of climate change on communities. Most recently, Kate was a climate reparations research assistant focused on East Africa at the African Futures Lab.

Sarah Maymi is a Program Assistant for African Peacebuilding and Developmental Dynamics (APDD). Sarah provides editorial and graphic design support for program publications such as Kujenga Amani, Working Paper Series, African Peacebuilding Policy Review and Analysis, Lecture Series, newsletters, and also supports communication strategies and activities, management of social media posts, event planning and reports. She graduated from Pace University in 2020, where she double-majored in English and Communications. Her goal is to combine creativity, a love of copyediting, and her passion for social issues into a worthwhile career path, particularly through the nonprofit sector. In her free time, you can find her reading in a cafe with an overpriced coffee, watching movies older than she is, taking long walks, or rewatching Bridgerton.

Maimouna is a program assistant for the African Peacebuilding Network (APN) and Next Generation Social Sciences in Africa (Next Gen) program. She holds a BA degree in Global Studies, with a minor in Economics from Colby College. Maimouna is passionate about human-centered international development, with a particular interest in supporting research that addresses health outcomes, instability, corruption, and human mobility. Maimouna has studied abroad in Ghana and South Africa, engaging deeply with issues of reproductive health and policy, South-South cooperation, and post-Apartheid challenges. She has also interned with Adolescent 360 at Population Services International and has facilitated the coordination, data collection, and dissemination efforts of Maine's first pilot court-watching program. Maimouna is committed to addressing critical social issues and fostering meaningful connections across communities.