Amine Bennouna: From Morocco to MIT, From International Maths Olympiad to NGO, and From Research to Teaching

In this episode of Floating Questions, we sit down with Amine Bennouna, a postdoctoral researcher at MIT and soon-to-be professor at the Kellogg School of Management. We explore his childhood in Morocco and how competing in the International Mathematical Olympiad inspired him to co-found Math&Maroc, an NGO dedicated to unlocking the scientific potential of Moroccan youth, one equation at a time. Amine also delves into his research focus area in artificial intelligence (AI), discussing the challenges of interpretability and robustness in data-driven decisions, and how to navigate uncertain and unstable environments with smarter algorithms. Beyond academia, we discuss the cultural warmth and community spirit of Morocco, his motivations for becoming a professor, and the teaching principles he operates by to make learning accessible and empower students to believe in their potential.