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In the Microsoft Research Podcast series What’s Your Story, Johannes Gehrke explores the who behind the technical and scientific advancements helping to reshape the world. A systems expert whose 10 years with Microsoft spans research and product, Gehrke talks to members of the company’s research community about what motivates their work and how they got where they are today.

In this episode, Gehrke is joined by Jacki O'Neill, director of Microsoft Research Africa (which started as the Microsoft Africa Research Institute, or MARI) in Nairobi, Kenya. O’Neill pitched the idea for the lab after seeing an opportunity to expand the Microsoft research portfolio. She shares how a desire to build tech that can have global societal impact and a familial connection to the continent factored into the decision; how degrees in psychology and computer science culminated in a career in human-computer interaction; and how a belief that life is meant to be exciting has allowed her to take big personal and professional swings.

Learn more:

• Jacki O'Neill at Microsoft Research
• Microsoft Research Africa (formerly MARI)