Pardee Fellow Clay Morgan Interns with ISS African Futures

This summer, Pardee Fellow Clay Morgan is interning with the Institute for Security Studies (ISS) in Pretoria, South Africa, as part of the Africa Futures Initiative team. Since June 24, 2024, Clay has been updating country profiles for Cote d'Ivoire and Mauritania using the International Futures (IFs) tool. Clay’s work involves forecasting current paths, developing sector-specific scenarios, and formulating policy recommendations. Clay also wrote a blog post on energy policy, focusing on new oil discoveries and hydrogen power projects in these countries.

Clay credits their Pardee Fellowship for preparing them with essential skills in using the International Futures (IFs) model and interpreting results. "The training at Pardee has been instrumental in understanding development dynamics and applying them to real-world scenarios,"

Adding that “I have personally gained a greater understanding of how I will hopefully be able to use IFs as a tool as I look to begin to look beyond my fellowship at the Pardee Institute and towards how I will be able to apply my understanding of IFs, large model forecasting, and research skills to my professional career. I also have been able to learn from experts here who have spent their careers studying African development and formulating impactful policy proposals”.

The internship, which runs through early August, mirrors the Pardee Institute’s commitment to involving students in advanced research and practical applications.