Known as a tireless instructor and mentor, Clark Gibson inspires his students and provides them with countless opportunities to learn through participation in research both here and abroad. He has built one of the top graduate programs in African politics in the country and leads a vibrant intellectual community of students and faculty interested in Africa. The work he is doing with his students, which includes innovative research using smartphones and citizen volunteers to detect and deter electoral fraud, has earned UC San Diego the reputation of being the leader in the study of the politics of emerging democracies.