Dr. Mwende Mbilo is an ARUA–Carnegie–Mastercard Early Career Research Fellow and Postdoctoral Researcher at the University of Pretoria. She holds a PhD in Physics from the University of Nairobi, an MSc and a BSc in Physics from Pwani University. Her work focuses on materials science and renewable energy technologies, with a specialization in optoelectronic materials. She has published extensively and received awards, including the L’Oréal-UNESCO For Women in Science Young Talents Award and the RSIF Junior Investigator Research Award (2025). Dr. Mbilo leads the RSIF/JIRA project and contributes to the development of next-generation materials for energy harvesting applications.
Dr. Francisca Adoma Acheampong is a Lecturer at the Faculty of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), Ghana. She holds a Master’s and Doctor of Engineering degree from the University of Electronic Science and Technology of China. Her research focuses on Machine Learning, Artificial Intelligence, and Data Science. She has several publications, including one awarded the Top Cited/Top Downloaded publication by Wiley. She and her team were recently awarded first place in the 2025 AI in Health Innovation Challenge organized by the Ghana College of Physicians and Surgeons. She remains committed to applying her expertise to address pressing societal problems.
Dr. Qhelile Ntombikayise Bhebhe is a sustainable food systems researcher with a PhD in Food Security (University of KwaZulu-Natal), a Masters in Sustainable Agriculture (University of Free State) and a BSc (Hons) Agronomy (Midlands State University). She was recently affiliated with University of Western Cape as a research fellow for the FAMA project, specializing in healthy sustainable diets. There she also focused on stakeholder engagement and policy-focused research on the consumption of traditional foods. Additionally, she has also been part of initiatives that promote agri-digital innovation among agri-businesses in African communities. Some of her research is supported by peer-reviewed publications.
Dr. Elodie Dimon, PhD in Animal Production (Zootechniques and Environment), is a researcher at the Laboratory of Ecology, Animal Health, and Production (LESPA), University of Parakou, Benin. Her expertise spans animal nutrition, livestock systems, food security, agroecology, and climate change.
She has received prestigious scholarships including IFS, OWSD-UNESCO, and the One Planet Fellowship. Dr. Dimon’s work, published in high-impact journals, focuses on sustainable development and leadership. Currently, she leads projects promoting snail farming (Archachatina marginata) as a sustainable solution to protein malnutrition in northern Benin, contributing to community food security and agroecological innovation.
Dr. Fawziyah Oyefunke Olarinoye is an early-career researcher in sustainable energy systems and a faculty member in the Department of Petroleum and Natural Gas Engineering at the University of Energy and Natural Resources (UENR), Sunyani, Ghana. She holds a PhD in Petroleum and Gas Engineering from the World Bank African Centre of Excellence in Oilfield Chemicals Research, University of Port Harcourt, an MSc in Petroleum Engineering at the African University of Science and Technology, Abuja, and a B.Eng. in chemical engineering from the Federal University of Technology, Minna. Her research focuses on green chemistry, deriving biochemicals and energy from biomass, flow assurance solutions for gas-related challenges in pipelines and topsides facilities, gas hydrate technology for carbon capture, water purification, and sustainable water–energy systems.
She is a recipient of scholarships from the World Bank RSIF/PSAET, the Pan-African Material Science Institute (PAMI), and Total Energies. Dr. Olarinoye has authored peer-reviewed publications and served as a peer reviewer, contributed to international conferences, and served in academic and community leadership roles, including mentoring young women in STEM as a Patron for the Petroleum Engineering Students’ Association (PESA). She is committed to advancing research that supports Africa’s energy transition and environmental sustainability.
Dr. Ruth Lorivi Moirana is a lecturer at the Nelson Mandela African Institution of Science and Technology (NM-AIST) in Tanzania and a researcher at the University of Nairobi (UoN) in Kenya. She holds a PhD in Materials Science and Engineering from NM-AIST which was obtained in 2023. She specializes in structural materials, with a focus on the remediation and treatment of contaminated soil, water, and wastewater.
She is currently investigating the interactive behaviour between fluoride and soil elements in fluoride-contaminated soils. Dr. Moirana has received numerous honors, including being the 1st Runner-up in a business plan competition in 2022 and the Top PhD student in research and innovation at the School of Materials, Energy, Water, and Environmental Sciences (MEWES) in 2023 and won the L’Oréal-UNESCO For Women in Science Young Talent Award for Sub-Saharan Africa in 2024.
Dr. Adetoun Alaba Akitoye is a Lecturer at the Department of Chemistry, University of Lagos. Her research area focuses on Food Security, specializing in smart, biodegradable food packaging and sensor-integrated technologies for reducing postharvest losses. She holds a PhD from the University of Lagos and has published impactful works in several high-profile journals.
She has been a recipient of several competitive scholarships and fellowships, and has attracted grants from World Connect, USA and Lagos State Research and Innovation Council, Nigeria. She has also been blessed with several awards, including the Best Overall PhD Thesis (University of Lagos, 2025), IUPAC Women in Chemistry Recognition (2025), and TechWomen Fellowship, USA (2022). She currently serves as Vice Chair, National Roots and Tree Crops Standards Committee of the Standard Organization of Nigeria, and leads several waste valorization and youth-focused agri-tech innovation projects. She is currently one of the ARUA Mastercard Fellows at CoE-SFS, University of Pretoria, South Africa.
Dr. Belinda Chepchumba Rop is an academician and researcher based at the University of Dar es Salaam, School of Law, where she currently serves as the Head of the Department of Public Law. She holds a PhD in Law, an LLM in Corporate and Commercial Law, and an LLB from the University of Dar es Salaam, School of Law.
Dr. Chepchumba is an Advocate, Notary Public, and Commissioner for Oaths in the High Court of Tanzania and subordinate courts. She specializes in Refugee and Migration Law, International Human Rights Law, Citizenship Law, and Gender and the Law. Her commitment to social justice is reflected in her pro bono work supporting vulnerable populations and her extensive publications on legsal frameworks governing human rights and migration issues.
Dr. Beatrice Omonike Otunola is a Researcher at the University of the Witwatersrand. She holds a PhD in Environmental Management and specializes in environmental monitoring, water and soil remediation, and the health impacts of mining. She aims to provide sustainable and technology-driven solutions to environmental problems.
Beatrice is a recipient of the Communication Journals Early Career Training Award and the Association of Commonwealth Universities Conference Grant. Her current work focuses on remote sensing for monitoring contaminated water systems and developing low-cost remediation materials, alongside active engagement with communities and industry to translate research into practical environmental solutions.
Dr. Hilda Dinah Kyomuhimbo is a Lecturer of Industrial Chemistry at Kyambogo University. She holds a PhD in Chemical Engineering from the University of Pretoria, an MSc in Chemistry from the University of Nairobi, and a BSc of Industrial Chemistry from Makerere University.
Her research focuses on wastewater treatment and the design of biosensors using immobilized enzymes. Her work has garnered the TWAS Seed Grant, Faculty for the Future Fellowship, and Margaret McNamara Education Grant. Committed to community impact, she serves with “Missions Beyond Frontiers,” leading public sensitization campaigns on proper waste sorting and disposal management.
