Cohort: Cohort 4: 2025

Dr Williams Appau Miller is a Lecturer at the Department of Real Estate, University of Business and Integrated Development Studies (UBIDS), Wa, Ghana, and a postdoctoral research fellow at the University of Lagos, Nigeria. He holds a PhD in Built Environment (Durban University of Technology), MPhil in Development Management (University for Development Studies), MSc in Geo-Information Science (University of Twente), and BSc in Real Estate (University for Development Studies). His research specialises in Sustainable Real Estate and Facilities. A recipient of the ARUA Early-Career Fellowship Award, he is currently working on the integration of Adaptive HVAC Systems in shopping malls.

Dr Steve Ngoy Kabemba is a construction engineer and postdoctoral fellow in the Department of Construction Economics and Management at the University of Cape Town. He holds a PhD in Construction Management from the University of Zambia and is a recipient of the ARUA Mastercard–Carnegie Early Career Research Fellowship (2025) and Erasmus+ Mobility Grant at Riga Technical University (2023–2024).

His research focuses on sustainable construction technologies, alternative building materials, and low-carbon housing. He manages the Journal of Construction Business and Management, lectures, serves on scientific committees, supervises postgraduate students, and engages industry and policymakers on construction innovation and carbon-reduction strategies.

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 Mildred Awuor Airo is a Lecturer and Head of Nanomaterials Research in the Department of Chemistry at Maseno University, Kenya. She holds a PhD in Chemistry from the University of the Witwatersrand and a BSc (Hons) from Egerton University, and has completed three postdoctoral fellowships in South Africa. Her research focuses on functional nanomaterials for renewable energy, environmental sensing, and circular economy applications using biochar-derived materials.

She has over 30 peer-reviewed publications (h-index 11), has received international awards from OWSD/TWAS-DFG, NRF South Africa, the Vallee Foundation, and the ARUA–Mastercard–Carnegie ECR Fellowship, and secured grants from Afretech–Carnegie Mellon, the Royal Society of Chemistry, and PHC France–Kenya Pamoja. She is an active STEM and DEI advocate, mentoring young scientists, bridging gender gaps through workshops and outreach, and consulting with Angaza Africa and E-Safiri.

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’s economic empowerment. Akem has published in peer-reviewed journals such as the Review of Development Economics and presented at international conferences such as the Centre for the Study of African Economies. Her ongoing work supports evidence generation on women’s economic empowerment.

Dr Susan Kamundia is a Postdoctoral Fellow at the African Centre of Excellence for Inequality Research (ACEIR), University of Cape Town, where she earned her PhD in Economics. She also holds a Master’s in Economics (Econometrics) and a Bachelor’s in Economics and Statistics from Kenyatta University, Kenya. Her research focuses on poverty and inequality, particularly multidimensional and asset-based poverty measurement across countries such as Kenya and South Africa. She has worked on spatial economics, maternal and child health, and impact evaluation. Susan has received research grants from the African Economic Research Consortium and ACEIR and was a UNU-WIDER PhD Research Fellow in 2021.

Dr. Onyekachi Ewa Ibe is a lecturer and haemato-oncology researcher with a PhD in Haematology and Blood Transfusion Science. Her work focuses on the molecular and inflammatory mechanisms of breast cancer progression, with particular interest in the role of coagulation pathways and tumor immune interactions. She has hands-on expertise in haematological analysis, molecular diagnostics, and cancer biomarker evaluation, and has contributed to peer-reviewed publications and competitive research proposals in oncology. Dr. Ibe is actively engaged in translational cancer research aimed at improving early detection and therapeutic strategies in resource-limited settings, while also mentoring emerging scientists in biomedical research and academic writing.

Dr Mutebi Denis is a Lecturer in the Department of Geology and Petroleum Studies, Makerere University, specialising 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 Mujittapha Umar Sirajo is a Lecturer in the Department of Anatomy, Federal University of Health Sciences, Azare. He holds a PhD in Anatomy (Neuroscience) from Bayero University, Kano. His current research focuses on developing cost-effective nutritional and mobile‐health interventions to slow the progression of Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease in low-resource settings. His work has attracted multiple international grants and recognitions, including the International Brain Research Organisation (2020, 2022, 2024), the International Society for Neurochemistry (ISN) (2024), CAJAL Neurokit Grant (2023), among others. He has published 10 articles in high-impact Scopus indexed journals. He teaches anatomy, mentors students and collaborates to translate research into policy and practice.

Dr Osariemen Irabor Omoruyi-Aigbovo is a Senior Lecturer and Head of the Department of Actuarial Science and Insurance, Faculty of Management Sciences, University of Benin, Nigeria. She holds a PhD and an MSc in Finance from the University of Benin. A BSc. in Business Administration from Bowen University. Her research focuses on financial risk modelling, insurance operations, carbon emissions, climate, and sustainability. She is currently an ARUA–Master card Early Career Research Fellow (Postdoctoral) at the Centre of Excellence in Climate and Development, University of Cape Town, South Africa. Her research work supports interdisciplinary collaboration aimed at enhancing research in sustainability across Africa.