UCT doctoral candidate scores Yale fellowship

27 May 2018 - 00:00 By Prega Govender

University of Cape Town law PhD candidate Elkanah Babatunde will be conducting research at Yale University in the US after being awarded the prestigious Fox International Fellowship.
Babatunde, who only recently submitted the proposal for his PhD, had just a week to complete the application.
While searching through potential UCT exchange programmes, Babatunde was advised by a friend to contact the International Academic Programme Office, where he learnt about the fellowship.
His research will look at law and environmental security, focusing on the Paris Agreement within the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, which deals with greenhouse gas emission mitigation, adaptation and finance.MUTUAL UNDERSTANDING
He said the US had pulled out of the Paris Agreement because it believed it placed too much of a burden on it while excusing other countries. "So perhaps my research will help to understand, first of all, how does the Paris Agreement work? And then, ultimately, how can it work better?" said Babatunde.
With his background in law and a particular interest in the social implications of industrialisation in Africa, Babatunde hopes to refine his research during the fellowship and develop skills that could benefit his career post-PhD.
Although he loves academia and teaching, he is looking into pursuing environmental policymaking in Africa after the completion of his studies.
The Fox International Fellowship programme is hosted by the MacMillan Center for International and Area Studies at Yale and was established to enhance mutual understanding between the US and other countries...

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