CMU-Africa exchange student: a global citizen with an African heart

Carnegie Mellon University Africa (CMU-Africa) student Joshua Momo is pursuing his passion for artificial intelligence inside the classroom and the lab while earning his master of science in engineering artificial intelligence. He spent the fall semester in Pittsburgh as part of the student exchange program, where he secured a research role with visiting professor William Cohen in the Machine Learning Department in CMU’s School of Computer Science.

He will continue his work with Cohen during his spring semester at CMU-Africa, where he is exploring agentic artificial intelligence (AI) systems—systems that can act independently with minimal human intervention—while studying how these systems can be made more transparent, testable, and reliable. He is also deepening his research skills in robot learning and AI safety.

“We are working on a new paradigm that treats reasoning and decision-making in agentic AI systems more like executable workflows, making them easier to observe, test, and refine,” said Momo. “This helps make these systems safer, more predictable, and more reliable in real-world settings.”

I’m very passionate about inspiring other young people and seeing how I can transform their journeys. CMU-Africa has given me that opportunity.

Joshua Momo, graduate student, CMU-Africa

Momo explains that safety and ethics are important components to study in the field of AI, because they are building blocks for successful human-system interaction. “The focus is on how we can build solutions that allow us to really see what’s happening inside these systems, ensuring they align with human values and ethics,” said Momo. He has long been interested in AI safety, pursuing independent projects in the area, and his current work with Cohen complements that interest.

While working and taking classes, Momo said, “The friends I made outside of school, like at my church, really made my stay in Pittsburgh enjoyable. It was my home away from home. Feeling at home definitely impacted my academic work at CMU.”

From Liberia, Momo was encouraged to apply to CMU-Africa by a friend. “My motivation to apply to CMU-Africa was the diversity. I really liked that there were more than 20 countries represented. I saw this as an opportunity to be among the group of high-achieving students from different countries. I wanted to develop friendships with people who will impact my life,” said Momo.

Being part of CMU-Africa is important to Momo because he said his country is not usually represented. “I’m very passionate about my country because we are not even in the conversation about AI,” he said. “There are not a lot of role models in AI from my country that I could look to for inspiration. I’m trying to build that role model for other Africans and Liberians. I'm very passionate about inspiring other young people and seeing how I can transform their journeys. CMU-Africa has given me that opportunity.”