Every student’s path to Harvard Kennedy School is unique, and what our alumni go on to do after graduating is equally varied.
We asked several HKS alums to tell us about their experiences before, during, and after HKS, and to reflect how their time at HKS has shaped their careers and lives.
Imen Ghedhioui MC/MPA 2023 draws on her professional experience and HKS training to lead at the intersection of technology, sustainability, and global governance.
Here’s what she shared.
“The MC/MPA Program strengthened my ability to bridge technical innovation with public policy, enabling me to design and advocate for frameworks that sustainably and equitably govern digital infrastructure.”
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2024Starts new role as a senior research associate at the United Nations University
Imen applies the strategic negotiation frameworks and policy analysis skills honed at HKS to the governance of digital infrastructure. She researches the energy sustainability of AI-driven data centers and the deployment of inclusive Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) in emerging economies.
“My deep engagement with cyberspace and international relations at HKS and the practical negotiation clinics taught me how the geopolitics of technology and trade are negotiated at the highest levels. This has been directly applicable in my role at the United Nations University, where I am not just proposing technical models; I am facilitating negotiations, aligning national interests, and building consensus for inclusive frameworks—skills I first practiced in HKS classrooms simulating high-stakes international conflicts.”
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2023Begins working as a teaching fellow at New York University
Imen collaborated with Nobel Peace Prize recipient Ouided Bouchamaoui and co-developed the curriculum and syllabus for a specialized course: “Negotiating Peace: Women's Leadership in Conflict Resolution,” now called “Women, Peacemaking, and Peacebuilding.” Imen was responsible for crafting the pedagogical content and coordinating with NYU's Global Education team, as well as identifying and securing high-level guest speakers, including former presidential advisors, Security Council experts, and other Nobel Laureates, to bring real-world diplomacy insights into the classroom.
“This experience uniquely positioned me to bridge cutting-edge academic discourse with concrete policy action.”
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2023Graduates from HKS
“My Harvard Kennedy School experience was a strategic and indispensable preparation for my post-HKS career, providing the precise analytical frameworks and technical knowledge required to address AI, energy, and equitable development in emerging nations.”
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2022Begins the Mid-Career Master in Public Administration (MC/MPA) Program
At HKS, Imen curated a class schedule focused on analytical rigor and diplomatic strategy. She enrolled in courses including API-318: Thinking Analytically in an Uncertain World and ESPP 90S: The Technology, Economics, and Public Policy of Renewable Energy, which directly inform her current research on AI-driven data center sustainability.
“The HKS curriculum equipped me not just to analyze the dual challenges of our digital age, but to actively negotiate and implement the frameworks for a more equitable and sustainable digital future.”
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2021Applies to HKS
“I wanted to be better equipped with the advanced leadership, policy analysis, and strategic governance skills necessary to effectively address complex global challenges in technology policy and politics.”
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2020Serves as an advisor to the Cabinet of the Minister of Technology and Communication in Tunisia
Imen advised the national e-government strategy and wrote a policy brief on using behavioral science to drive post-COVID digital recovery.
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2019
AWLN is a UN Women and African Union initiative promoting the Women, Peace, and Security agenda.
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2017Founds the Behavioral Science Design Lab in Tunisia
As a GovTech entrepreneur, Imen founded the Behavioral Science Design Lab to develop behavioral and tech-enabled policy tools—including an AI-assisted parliamentary advisory system.
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2015Serves as the research director of the Transformative Justice Project Tunisia & Egypt at the University of York
Imen managed seven research teams in Tunisia and supervised data collection for the Transformative Justice Project. She also worked at the Center for Applied Human Rights, where her team introduced an evidence-based policy making approach to the Tunisian parliament. In addition, she served as research coordinator for Tunisia and Egypt in partnership with the American University of Cairo.
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2012
Imen planned and organized conferences, workshops, seminars, visiting programs, or other activities with Tunisian civil society organizations on political, social, and cultural initiatives.
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2011Receives her executive master’s degree in psych-traumatology from Paris Descartes University
Imen planned to pursue a PhD in psychology, but the political climate in Tunisia awakened a passion for policy and politics.
“Tunisia held an election for a new constituent assembly, which was the first democratic election that occurred in Tunisia. I cultivated an interest in understanding electoral behavior and political psychology.”
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2010Graduates from the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences of Tunis with a master’s degree in political psychology and feminine studies
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2008Graduates from the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences of Tunis with a master’s degree in applied clinical psychology and psychopathology
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2006Graduates from the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences of Tunis with a bachelor’s degree in psychology
