Episode 5 – A is not for Apple

Conni’s guest today is Binyam Sisay Mendisu. He completed his PhD in Linguistics from the University of Oslo in 2008. Between 2008 and 2016, he taught full-time at Addis Ababa University (AAU) as an Assistant and later Associate professor. Currently, he is serving as an Associate Professor of African Languages and Linguistics at The Africa Institute, Sharjah, United Arab Emirates. Binyam’s research considers language as an archive of local knowledge and memory.

His (co)-authored publications include Multilingual Ethiopia: Linguistic Challenges and Capacity Building Efforts (2016) and Restoring African Studies to Its Linguistic Identity:
Reflection on Ethiopian Studies (2014).
Recently, he worked as an education specialist at UNESCO International Institute for Capacity Building in Africa (IICBA) leading programs and projects on teacher policy development, mother tongue and early childhood education. He is a member of the Global Young Academy, and an inaugural fellow and Steering Committee member of the African Science Leadership Program (ASLP). He also serves as Vice President for Capacity Development in the Governing Board of International Network of Government Science Advice (INGSA).