Photo by Dani Fine
I'm a writer and foreign correspondent who reports from across the globe—with a particular focus on Africa.
My work, including longform articles, investigative features, travel dispatches, and profiles, has been published by National Geographic, The Economist, MIT Technology Review, Foreign Policy, The Atlantic, The New York Times, The Boston Globe, and many others.
In more than fifteen years as a journalist, I've chronicled the fight to stop oil exploration in Africa's oldest national park; investigated a first-of-its kind project to generate power from gas trapped in a Rwandan lake; profiled the youth movement that toppled Madagascar’s government, and explored the rise of the African megacity though an in-depth look at the past, present, and future of Dar es Salaam.
Much of my work these days relates to one of two topics: climate change, the energy transition, and what it means for Africa; and East African long-distance running. My stories on Kenyan marathoners have twice been ranked best “color piece” by a writer from The Americas at the International Sport Press Association’s annual awards. One was a finalist in the sports reporting category at the British Journalism Awards in 2025.
I’m a longstanding contributor to MIT Technology Review’s Innovators Under 35, an annual list that honors some of the world’s brightest young scientists and engineers. Every other fall, I teach a self-designed course on global journalism to undergraduates at Tufts University. I hold a B.A. from Tufts and an M.A. in international relations from the Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS). I’m also a past fellow of the Alicia Patterson Foundation, which supported my yearlong 2016 investigation into foreign investment across Africa.
After several years primarily in East Africa, I now split my time between the region and my hometown, Amherst, Massachusetts—with occasional stints elsewhere. Some favorite spots include Kashmir, Tokyo, the Namib Desert, and the hills outside Bologna, Italy.