This quarter, we are delighted to announce that the official ADEL 2025 cohort has been selected. We extend our sincere thanks to all alumni who helped amplify the call for applications, shared it across their networks, and recommended outstanding candidates. Your engagement and support remain vital in strengthening and expanding our community of emerging leaders. 

In her timely opinion piece “Deep-Sea Mining and Ocean Governance at a Crossroads,” ADEL 2024 alumna Eduarda Zoghbi examines the rising geopolitical and environmental stakes of seabed mineral extraction. Highlighting U.S. policy shifts, international law frameworks, and the ecological risks of deep-sea mining, she emphasizes the urgent need for multilateral governance to safeguard oceans while supporting the global energy transition. 

Read Eduarda’s piece here. 

In his thought-provoking piece “Integrating Nature into Urban Design,” ADEL 2018 alumnus Ahmed Rachid El-Khattabi examines how embedding natural elements into cities enhances public health, social cohesion, and climate resilience. Drawing on examples from Tangier’s parks and ecosystem-based urban planning, he highlights the urgent need for nature-based solutions to create more livable, adaptive, and sustainable urban environments. 

Read Ahmed’s piece here. 

Challenging conventional hierarchies of knowledge, ADEL 2014 alumna Imane Lahlou explores in “Changing the Script: Moving the Periphery to the Heart of Global Transitions” how expertise from the periphery can drive global transformation. She emphasizes the need to recognize and amplify local innovators and change designers, arguing that knowledge beyond traditional centers offers critical insights for structural, social, and policy innovation worldwide. 

Read Imane’s piece here. 

Focusing on the power of intergenerational collaboration, ADEL 2016 alumna Salem Afeworki highlights in ‘Building Tomorrow's Carbon-Free Cities: The Intergenerational Leadership Advantage’ how age-diverse teams drive innovation, balance priorities, and strengthen environmental, social, and economic outcomes, ultimately accelerating the transition to sustainable, carbon-free cities.

Read Salem’s piece here. 

“Bolivia: The End of a Political Era” by ADEL 2013 alumna Gabriela Keseberg Dávalos reviewes the historic ousting of the Movement for Socialism (MAS) after two decades in power. She details the economic and political forces behind this shift, the unprecedented runoff election, and the challenges facing Bolivia’s next leadership as the country seeks stability, democratic renewal, and institutional reform. 

Read Gabriela’s piece here. 

In her recent contribution, “Maroc : Leader pivot du Sud Global – Au cœur des recompositions africaines, atlantiques et multilatérales”, ADEL 2018 alumna Patricia Ahanda analyzes Morocco’s emergence as a pivotal leader of the Global South. She highlights the Kingdom’s diplomatic agility, economic and cultural “Offre Maroc,” and role as a strategic bridge across Africa, the Atlantic, and multilateral arenas. 

Read Patricia’s piece here. 

As part of the Young Voices, Echoes of Change podcast series, ADEL alumni share their perspectives on pressing global challenges, offering fresh insights and solutions. 

Francisco Córdoba (ADEL 2019) examines the turning point of artificial intelligence in this episode, exploring the ethical dilemmas, cybersecurity challenges, and power dynamics shaping AI governance. He discusses who sets the rules in this rapidly evolving landscape and how decisions today will influence both the technology and the societies of tomorrow, offering insights into the opportunities and risks that lie ahead.

Listen to the full episode here. 

Eduarda Zoghbi (ADEL 2024) explores the critical challenges of the global energy transition in this episode. She highlights how countries can balance green growth with economic development, social equity, and energy access, and discusses the roles of international climate finance, emerging economies, and local leadership—including youth and gender perspectives—in shaping sustainable energy pathways. 

Listen to the full episode here. 

Sydney Piggott (ADEL 2022) has joined Mentor Canada as Director of Strategic Partnerships & Initiatives. In this role, she will leverage her decade of experience in designing and scaling inclusive programs to foster key collaborations and drive initiatives focused on youth empowerment and inclusion. 

Elenza Lazarou (ADEL 2013), after ten years at the European Parliamentary Research Service on EU external policies, has been appointed Director General at ELIAMEP (Hellenic Foundation for European & Foreign Policy), bringing her expertise in geopolitics and EU affairs, while also joining the European Policy Centre as Senior Advisor on geopolitics and global governance.  

Diego Marroquín Bitar (2024), former Inaugural Bersin-Foster North America Scholar at the Woodrow Wilson Center, has joined the CSIS Americas Program as a fellow, bringing his extensive expertise in U.S.-Mexico and Mexico-Canada relations, and the USMCA. 

Sadé Abraham (ADEL 2018) has been appointed Associate Dean and Director of the Office of Academic Community, Empowerment, and Success (OACES) at MIT. She leads a team that delivers academic success initiatives, professional development programs, and student-centered support, fostering growth, opportunity, and strong communities across the Institute. 

Eduarda Zoghbi (ADEL 2024) has launched MPower, a nonprofit dedicated to advancing women’s leadership in Brazil’s energy sector. The initiative supports the professional growth and development of women pursuing careers in energy, aiming to foster a more diverse and inclusive workforce, a critical factor for driving a fair and equitable energy transition. 

Goodiel Moshi (ADEL 2017) was a panelist at the 1st Tanzania Artificial Intelligence Forum 2025 in Dar es Salaam, speaking on “Advances in Agentic AI” as part of the AfriAI Lab team. He emphasized the rise of agentic AI as autonomous, goal-oriented partners, its profound economic and social impacts, and the need for local investment in Swahili language corpora and AI infrastructure to drive context-driven innovation in Tanzania.  

Clarissa Rios Rojas (ADEL 2016) spoke at the Geneva Disarmament Conversation Series on the Secretary-General’s annual report on science and technology. She emphasized the accelerating convergence of biotechnology and AI, highlighting both opportunities and risks, and called for future-proofing the Biological Weapons Convention through stronger dialogue between scientists, industry, and diplomats.  

Anand Reddi (ADEL 2016) spoke at the BIO International Convention 2025 on expanding access to medicines in resource-limited settings. The discussion focused on how vertical disease-specific programs, such as HIV initiatives, have catalyzed broader health systems strengthening, and on the need for new financing models and partnerships to sustain progress. He also highlighted how clinical trials can act as catalysts for building resilient healthcare infrastructure and advancing global health equity. 

Gerold Dreyer (ADEL 2024) facilitated a session on supporting women and youth SMEs during a national AfCFTA training workshop in Namibia, focusing on tailored finance, mentoring, and inclusive business networks. His contributions came shortly after Namibia achieved a historic milestone, exporting its first official consignment of 45,000 tons of salt to Nigeria under the African Continental Free Trade Area. Gerold’s work highlights the practical opportunities and inclusive strategies helping SMEs leverage the AfCFTA to access broader African markets. 

Publications

Nicola Bilotta (ADEL 2019) co-authored a publication, Cryptoassets and the Lack of International Regulatory Coordination, examining how geopolitical and economic interests shape national approaches to crypto regulation—from the U.S. and EU to China. The piece highlights rising market risks and the persistent challenges to achieving meaningful international regulatory coordination.

Read the full piece here. 

Mannat Jaspal (ADEL 2023) examines the India-Africa-UAE trilateral in her latest analysis, Countdown to BRICS 2026: The India-Africa-UAE Trilateral for ORF Middle East. She highlights the potential of an institutionalized cooperation framework to foster innovation, joint ventures, collaborative research, and shared intellectual property across the three regions. 

Read the full piece here. 

Ala’a Kolkaila (ADEL 2023) explores the future of cryptocurrency in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries in her latest publication, The Future of Cryptocurrency in the Gulf Cooperation Council Countries, for the Carnegie Middle East Program. She examines the region’s readiness for digital assets, highlighting regulatory divergence, cautious CBDC adoption, stablecoin dynamics, and the geopolitical implications of deepening economic ties with China. 

Read the full piece here.