Assistant Professor Catherine Nakalembe Named Public Voices Fellow

Fellowship spotlights her work ensuring technology improves lives, not just innovation.

A new national fellowship is giving Assistant Professor Catherine Nakalembe a platform to bring her research and perspective on technology to a broader audience. Fresh off the premiere of her TED Fellows Film, Nakalembe has been named a Public Voices Fellow on Technology in the Public Interest, a program that helps emerging leaders share ideas and shape how society thinks about technology. The initiative, led by The OpEd Project and supported by the MacArthur Foundation, provides coaching and guidance for fellows to contribute meaningful, accessible insights to the public discourse.

The fellowship comes at a pivotal moment in Nakalembe’s work, as she seeks to expand critical conversations about how technology can truly serve people.

“Being selected for the Public Voices Fellowship is both an incredible honor and remarkably timely right after the premiere of my TED Fellows Film,” she said. “It represents an important opportunity to amplify critical conversations about technology's role in society at a moment when these discussions are more urgent than ever.”

Her work focuses on using satellite data and geospatial technologies to support food security and strengthen decision-making systems, particularly in communities facing the greatest climate and economic risks. While technology is advancing quickly, she sees a disconnect between its potential and its real-world impact.

“We see tremendous innovation and investment in new technologies, “Nakalembe said. “But we need to ask harder questions about who truly benefits and whether these solutions are reaching the communities that need them most.”

She emphasizes the need to translate advances in technology into real-world impact. By improving access to high-quality data and strengthening decision-making systems, Nakalembe aims to ensure technology serves as a tool for social good, rather than a “solution in search of a problem.”

Nakalembe said she is looking forward to connecting with other fellows, receiving guidance from journalism experts and honing her voice as a public communicator.

“I'm most excited about the fellowship community itself and the opportunity to learn from other diverse voices, the structured support and training in public communication, and developing my skills as a storyteller who can make complex technological issues accessible and compelling to broader audiences.”

Nakalembe is also founder of the Xylem Lab, which advances Earth observation research and translates it into actionable insights for food security, climate resilience and environmental decision-making, and the Xylem Institute, which focuses on inclusive innovation and knowledge sharing that uplifts communities. Her selection as a Public Voices Fellow marks a new chapter in her mission to ensure technology works for everyone, not just a few.

Image: Catherine Nakalembe doing fieldwork in Madagascar, courtesy of Nakalembe

Published on Mon, 11/10/2025 - 11:11