Cheikh Seydil Moctar Mbacké

Cheikh Seydil Moctar Mbacké is a Senegalese statistician. He is a research fellow in the Center for Research on Applied Economics and Finance at the Université de Thiès in Senegal. He works in international development, with a particular focus on population and health research in Sub-Saharan Africa. Mbacke was elected a Foreign Associate of the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) in 2018.

Early life and education Mbacké is from Nioro du Rip, a small town in Senegal. He was raised speaking Wolof language, English and Spanish. He earned his master's degree in Demography at the Institute of Demographic Training and Research in Yaoundé. Mbacké moved to the University of Pennsylvania for his doctoral studies, earning a Ph.D. degree in statistics in 1986.

Career and research After graduating, Mbacké moved to Bamako, where he started his career as a demographic researcher. He worked at the Unité Socio-Economique et de Démographie (USED). He served on the council of the IUSSP between 2010 and 2013. The Hewlett Foundation described the impact of Mbacké's work,"Almost every African demographer, and many population scientists from other regions, can trace a pivotal moment in their own careers to advice, support, ideas, and constructive critique offered by Cheikh Mbacké."

Mbacké is Chair of the Board of Directors of Tostan, an organisation in Africa that looks to develop rural communities in Africa. He serves on the Board of Directors of the African Institute for Development Policy. He is a member of the World Health Organization (WHO) African advisory committee on health research and development.

Awards and honors Mbacké was elected a foreign associate of the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) in 2018.