Victoria Schorr is an expert with more than ten years of experience regarding sub-Saharan Africa and is currently the Program Manager of Open African Innovation Research (Open AIR), a network of five major universities and researchers from all over the African continent as well as around the world. Through the University of Ottawa, Open AIR has been awarded a prestigious SSHRC Partnership Grant and IDRC funding for its research into intellectual property and innovation in Africa. Ms. Schorr specializes in African political economy including the African private sector, international business and investment, international relations, behavioural economics, and development. She has written and published a variety of articles, both academic and non-academic, and has an active blog. Prior to Open AIR, Ms. Schorr worked as a consultant with organizations ranging from grassroots NGO’s to the UN as well as several Canadian government Departments including the Department of Foreign Affairs, International Trade and Development. In addition to her degrees, she is an alumnus of the Trent-In-Ghana Study Abroad Programme, aimed at teaching monitoring and evaluation skills in the field. Ms. Schorr is also a Board Member of the Canadian International Council’s Africa Study Group and is an active member of the Ottawa McGill Alumni Association.
