Michael Best

Michael L. Best is currently a faculty associate with the Berkman Center for Internet and Society where he focuses on the use of computers and communication in social and economic development. In particular, he studies the Internet and Internet enabled services in least developed countries of Africa and South Asia. His current projects include researching innovations in terrestrial wireless infrastructure (such as WiFi), the role of sustainable energy sources for rural Internet, approaches to monitoring and evaluation of rural Internet, and new technologies and policies to support Internet telephony. Michael’s work encompasses the engineering of new technologies, public policy interventions, as well as social and economic assessments.

In addition to his appointment with the Berkman Center, Michael is currently an Assistant Professor jointly appointed to the Sam Nunn School of International Affairs and the College of Computing at Georgia Tech where he also is Nunn Security Mid-Career Fellow. He is also Research Affiliate with the Center for Technology, Policy, and Industrial Development and the Program for Internet & Telecoms Convergence at MIT. Michael is co-founder and Editor-in-Chief of Information Technologies and International Development published by the MIT Press. Michael currently serves as a consultant to the World Bank, United Nations, and International Telecommunications Union. He holds a Ph.D. from the MIT Media Lab and has served as Director of Media Lab Asia in India and head of the eDevelopment group at the MIT Media Lab.

Michael is currently Principal Investigator with the Sustainable Access in Rural India (SARI) project, MIT’s African Internet Technologies Initiative, and the UNEP’s Information and Communication Technologies – Renewable Energy Review and Outlook Report. This academic year he is co-teaching Digital Democracy at Harvard Law School and teaching Computers, Communications, and International Development and Science, Technology, and International Affairs at Georgia Tech.