Francis Lyimo hails from Dar es Saleem, United Republic of Tanzania. His undergraduate work was done at the University of Dar es Salaam, Tanzania in Sociology. He then received an M.A. in Sociology from the same university. His graduate school research agenda in the areas of political and environmental sociology centers on understanding land and natural resource disputes in sub-Saharan Africa. He is especially interested in the involvement of multinational corporations (and states) in the processes that give rise to these disputes. He is currently seeking a Ph.D. in Sociology at the University of Minnesota.