Safar Amin ‘26 Admitted to the University of Oxford for a Masters of Philosophy in Development Studies

Safar Amin, a fourth-year student at Bard College Berlin, has been admitted to the Oxford Department of International Development (ODID), where he will pursue a Masters of Philosophy (MPhil) in Development Studies as an Oxford Academic Futures Scholar. ODID is a leading center for research and teaching on global development, with a strong interdisciplinary focus on poverty, inequality, and migration.
 
Originally from Afghanistan, Safar joined Bard College Berlin in 2022 through the fully-funded Program for International Education and Social Change (PIESC). Before his arrival to BCB, Safar was educated in an Afghan refugee camp in Pakistan under conditions of limited resources and restricted access to formal opportunities. At BCB, he is completing a bachelor’s degree in Economics, Politics, and Social Thought, with a concentration in Economics. His bachelor’s thesis examines how ethnic identity shapes the relationship between income and subjective wellbeing in Afghanistan.
In his two-year masters program, he intends to focus on development economics. His research interests center on the interaction between economic outcomes and sociopolitical structures, particularly ethnic identity in conflict-affected contexts such as Afghanistan. 
 
Reflecting on his achievement, Safar says: “To say that I’m happy would be an understatement. Studying at Oxford and joining such an intellectually-rich community is both humbling and inspiring. This opportunity reflects not only my journey, but the transformative power of education to change lives.” He adds: “My country and people have gone through a tumultuous past in the last five decades, but I believe change is possible, and I’m very hopeful that my generation is the face of this transformation.”
 
Alongside his studies, Safar has worked in Berlin with Stiftung SPI, an organization that supports the integration of underaged refugees in Germany, and as a student research assistant at Tel Aviv University. Safar is also very interested in literature, and is an avid reader of Oscar Wilde and Hafez. 
 

Post Date: 04-30-2026