Ari Jacobovits

MIT-Africa

misti-africa [at] mit.edu / arijaco [at] mit.edu -  (617) 258-6020

Ari Jacobovits is an Africa relations specialist, program leader, partnerships strategist, and educator working at the intersections of academia, management, and STEM. 

He serves as the managing director of MIT-Africa and as the Africa lead for CIS, connecting the MIT community to internships, research projects, and teaching & learning opportunities that bidirectionally advance shared goals in research, innovation, and education. Ari's background is in music, human and economic development, humanitarian affairs, and digital technologies, encompassing a variety of business development and operations management roles across sectors. 

Before coming to MIT, Ari was a Peace Corps volunteer in Kenya, a field team leader for the State Department's Refugee Admissions Program in Africa, and worked at Zipcar and Jumia-Tanzania. Ari holds a master’s degree from the Fletcher School at Tufts University where he focused on development economics and international management strategy, and a bachelor’s degree in journalism and music from Indiana University, where he studied abroad during his senior year at the University of Cape Town in South Africa. 

Ari is the recipient of the 2025 MIT Excellence Award for “Innovative Solutions” and the African Students’ Association inaugural Ubuntu Award.