Esesua Ikpefan

Esesua Ikpefan is an urbanist whose research examines how built environments inform and reflect conflict and identity, with a focus on Nigerian cities. As a doctoral candidate in Urbanism and Landscape at Harvard Graduate School of Design, her work delves into the complexities of heritage, inequality, and colonial legacies, particularly examining how claims of ownership and authenticity manifest in contested urban spaces.

As a World Bank Group Africa Fellow, Esesua contributes her expertise to the Global Facility for Disaster Reduction and Recovery, providing research and analytical support aimed at guiding best practices for disaster risk management in fragility, conflict, and violence contexts.

During her academic journey, Esesua has held positions as a Teaching Fellow and researcher at Harvard College and the Harvard Graduate School of Design, as well as a Dean’s Equity and Inclusion Initiative Fellow at Dumbarton Oaks. Prior to this, Esesua received a Master of Design in critical conservation from the GSD, where her research focused on unraveling the biases inherent in governmental and societal narratives towards Nigeria’s urban poor. Through her work, she sheds light on how these biases perpetuate urban inequality and exclusion, thereby informing policy and practice in the field of urban development.

Initial Fellowship Focus: The fellow will serve as an important catalyst for creating an internal structure to link disparate processes, programs, and efforts, and facilitate action across departments.