Mitali Thakor

Basak Kus

As part of our Bailey COE Think Tank’s ongoing work on disruption and futures that feel increasingly unpredictable, and more dystopian than hopeful, we (Basak Kus, Mitali Thakor, and Tim Sahay) headed to Mexico for a three-day excursion. The trip was short and intentionally dense. Curated by Tim and Mitali, it involved speaking with people working on climate policy; visiting one of the most discussed municipal experiments in contemporary urban governance—the Utopias initiative, created under the leadership of Mexico City’s widely popular mayor, Clara Brugada; and, last but not least, meeting with the esteemed scholar Paula Ricaurte, whose work on technology, power, and AI has been formative for Mitali’s thinking. As we took off from JFK, we were excited about what lay ahead.

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Every academic year, the Bailey COE invites a small group of Wesleyan faculty and undergraduate students, plus a noted scholar from outside the University, to gather together for the Think Tank: a yearlong discussion of a critical environmental issue. The 2025-2026 Bailey COE Think Tank features (left to right, top to bottom) Basak Kus, professor of government; climate policy expert Tim Sahay, assistant research scientist, Johns Hopkins University, and the 2025-26 Menakka and Essel Bailey ’66 Distinguished Visiting Scholar at Wesleyan; Hari Krishnan, Co-Chair, Global South Asian Studies, Professor of Dance; and Mitali Thakor, Assistant Professor of Science and Technology Studies.

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