Dr. Kundani Makakavhule is a Senior Lecturer in the Department of Town and Regional Planning at the University of Pretoria. She holds a PhD in Town and Regional Planning and is currently completing a Master’s in Human Rights Law in the Centre for Human Rights, Faculty of Law, at the same institution. Her research focuses on public space and waste management, while her industry practice engages spatial transformation and multi-level governance. She is a recipient of Erasmus+ Teaching Mobility grant, the National Institute for Humanities and Social Sciences PhD Scholarship. She serves as Principal Investigator for the Spatial Methods for Urban Sustainability partnership between the University of Pretoria and Technische Universität Berlin.
Dr. Cynthia Mwau is a Lecturer in the department of Mathematics and Actuarial Science at Kisii University and a part-time lecturer in the department of Mathematics at the University of Nairobi. She holds a PhD and MSc in Actuarial Science from the University of Nairobi and a BSc in Actuarial Science from the University of Eldoret. Her research focuses on actuarial modelling, financial risk analytics, climate resilience and AI-driven development solutions. She has received grants supporting digital finance, climate-smart agriculture and education technology. She currently a lead PI in two projects on AI for education and AI for agriculture.
Dr. Hervé Nenghem Takam holds a PhD in Economics from the University of Dschang, Cameroon. His PhD thesis was funded by a grant from the African Economic Research Consortium (AERC). He is currently a Research Associate in the Centre for Studies and Research in Economics and Management (CERME) at the University of Dschang. His areas of interest include: macroeconomics, development economics, energy transition, climate change, sustainable development, and the informal economy. He is the author and co-author of several research articles in this field, published in prestigious peer-reviewed journals. He is currently a postdoctoral fellow of the ARUA program for Young Researchers, supported by the Mastercard Foundation and the Carnegie Corporation of New York. He is also a member of the ARUA Center of Excellence (CoE) in Urbanization and Habitable Cities at the University of Lagos in Nigeria.
Dr. Grace Oluwatoyin Oladunni is an expert in urban security, crime prevention, environmental, and infrastructure planning. She has a diploma in Town Planning from Kwara State Polytechnic. She attained B.Sc, M.Sc and PhD degrees in Urban and Regional Planning from Obafemi Awolowo University, Nigeria. A researcher in the Department of Urban and Regional Planning, University of Ibadan. In 2013, she received the Carnegie Award and was also a beneficiary of the United Kingdom Research and Innovation/African Research Universities Ph.D. Grant in 2021. An alumna of the Carrington Youth Fellowship Initiative. A leader with passion for development and change.
Dr. Cosmas Raymond Mutugi Kiruki is a lecturer at the Department of Electrical and Information Engineering at the University of Nairobi. He graduated with a BSc. (First-Class Honours) and MSc. in Electrical and Electronic Engineering from the University of Nairobi in 2014 and 2017, respectively. He obtained a PhD in Electrical and Space Engineering from Kyushu Institute of Technology, Japan in 2021. His research interests are in Electronics, Embedded Systems, Space Engineering, and Power & Energy Systems. He has led and worked in several research projects including those funded by the Kenya Space Agency (KSA), Kenya Education Network (KENET), and African Engineering and Technology Network (Afretec). He is currently an ARUA Early Career Researcher at Stellenbosch University, South Africa. He is based at the Centre for Renewable and Sustainable Energy Studies (CRSES) under the directorship of Prof. Cristina Trois. Dr. Kiruki also currently serves as the Treasurer of the IEEE Kenya Section.
Dr. Dorothy Khasisi Lukhabi is a Post-Doctoral Fellow at the Africa Centre of Excellence in Coastal Resilience/Centre for Coastal Management (ACECoR/CCM) at the University of Cape Coast, and an ARUA/Carnegie Early Career Research Fellow at the University of Ghana. She earned her PhD in Oceanography and Limnology from the University of Cape Coast, an MSc degree in Limnology and Wetland Management jointly offered by University of Life Sciences (Austria), Egerton University (Kenya), and Institute of Water Education (IHE) – Delft (The Netherlands), and a BSc degree in Environmental Science from Egerton University. Her areas of interest include; water quality monitoring, benthic macroinvertebrate ecology and taxonomy, marine ecology and the integration of climate research and citizen science to enhance community resilience. Her current research focuses on maladaptive impacts of Climate Change Adaptation (CCA) interventions on coastal communities.The International Society of Limnology has honored Dorothy with several awards, such as the Wetzel travel award, a small research grant, and recognition for the best-published article in Limnology. She has contributed to leading journals and book series on aquatic systems and water quality indices, with her work cited more than 100 times. Other engagements include the NFRF- funded Coast-Man project, co-ordination of Research Council of Norway’s CoastAfrica Project, environmental outreaches, professional networks, and regional capacity building.
Dr. Mutebi Denis is a Lecturer in the department of Geology and Petroleum Studies, Makerere University-Uganda, specializing in the Geoscience-Materials-Environment-Energy nexus. He holds a PhD in Engineering Sciences from Kyushu University-Japan, an MSc in Geological Engineering from Padjadjaran University-Indonesia, a PGDE from Kyambogo University-Uganda, and a BSc in Petroleum Geoscience and Production from Makerere University-Uganda. His research interests are Earth resources, Zeolites, Environmental remediation, Food security and Energy sustainability. He is an ARUA Early Career Research Fellow and Africa Science Leadership Fellow, with multiple international publications and ongoing projects in sustainable materials and environmental innovation.
Dr. Dedan Luvaga Limanye is an Early Career Researcher at the Centre of Excellence for Federalism and Governance Studies, Addis Ababa. He holds a PhD in Governance and Regional Integration and a Master’s Degree in Intercultural Communication from the Pan African University Institute for Governance, Humanities and Social Sciences (PAUGHSS). Dedan holds a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Education from the University of Kabianga. As an ECR, his research focuses on Socioeconomic Decentralization and Youth Inclusion in Governance. Among his notable publications is “Language Differences and Communication for Political Transformation in Sub-Saharan Africa”. Dedan is a Private Governance Consultant advancing projects aligned with his governance interests. Further, he serves as a General Secretary for a youth social movement in Kenya (KEMYC), engaging the community through advocacy, education, and grassroot mobilization.
Dr. Casiana Blasius Lwiwa is a Lecturer at MUCE, University of Dar es Salaam, specializing in Solar Thermal Energy, Concentrating Solar for Cooking and Heat Storage for clean cooking. She holds a PhD in Process & Power Engineering from NTNU, Norway, and MSc and BSc (Education) from the University of Dar es Salaam. She has published six papers, serves as a reviewer for Solar Energy (Elsevier), and previously received the NTNU–NORAD PhD scholarship and an “Innovator of the Year” award for her clean-cooking heat storage project. Her ongoing work focuses on affordable heat-storage materials for clean cooking.
Dr. Annif’ Akem Fiennasah is a development economist currently completing a six month research Internship with UN Women’s East and Southern Africa Regional Office. Akem holds a PhD in Development Economics from the University of Dschang and an MSc in Applied Economics from the University of Yaoundé II in collaboration with Université de Rennes 1. Her research focuses on gender inequalities and women economic empowerment. Akem has published in peer-reviewed journals such as the Review of Development Economics and presented at internatinaol conferences such as the center for the study of African Economies. Her ongoing work supports evidence generation on women’s economic empowerment.
