18 Dec 2024

New Faculty Profiles: Awa Ambra Seck

ShareBar

HBS faculty comprises scholars and practitioners who bring leading-edge research, extensive experience, and deep insights into the classroom, to organizations, and to leaders across the globe. We asked new faculty at HBS about their background, their new roles, and their interests.

Awa Ambra Seck, assistant professor, Business, Government & the International Economy

What is your educational background?
I completed my bachelor's degree in economics and business from the University of Torino in 2014. Concurrently, I earned a diploma in economics from the Allievi Honors Program at Collegio Carlo Alberto, a foundation dedicated to fostering excellence and research. My studies continued at Bocconi University, where I obtained a master’s degree in economics and social sciences in 2017. Driven by a passion for understanding the economic and social systems of developing countries, I pursued a PhD in political economy and government, economics track, at Harvard University, completing it in May 2023. In 2023/2024, I spent one year as an Academy Scholar at the Harvard Academy for International and Area Studies.

What’s your area of research and what led you to it?
My research is at the intersection of development economics, economic history, and political economy, with a regional focus on Africa. In my work, I study how the cultural traits of African ethnic groups, and the colonial history of African countries, shape the continent’s current economic and social phenomena.

For instance, one of my projects shows how, in East Africa, redistribution and policy effectiveness can be shaped by the social structure of ethnic groups. In another study, I show that, in Morocco, the patterns of deployment of the French Colonial Army have influenced emigration patterns from that country, up to today.

My interest in these topics was sparked by my upbringing between Italy and Senegal. The differences and similarities between these two countries fostered my curiosity in understanding the ways in which history, culture, and economics shape one another.

What will you be teaching?
I will be teaching Business, Government & the International Economy.

What would you be doing if you weren’t a professor?
If I were not an academic, and not an economist, I would most likely be a veterinary surgeon, working with wild animals in Africa. That was my dream for most of my non-adult life and I am still drawn to that career as, besides working with fascinating animals, it allows you to travel and know the world from a very unique perspective.

Where are you from?
I am Italian-Senegalese; I grew up in Italy.

What is something you like to do outside of your academic work?
I like to cook, dance, and paint.

What’s your favorite book, movie, or piece of art?
Something that I have recently read and that influenced me deeply is Through a Window: My Thirty Years with the Chimpanzees of Gombe, by Jane Goodall. A movie I have loved this year is Past Lives and a piece of art that impressed me is “Wheatfield with Crows” by Van Gogh.

Post a Comment

Comments must be on-topic and civil in tone (with no name calling or personal attacks). Any promotional language or urls will be removed immediately. Your comment may be edited for clarity and length.