ECR

The Africa Research Universities Alliance (ARUA) has highlighted the transformative potential of the Capacity Building and Scientific Impact Tracking System (CB-SITS Africa), a new platform designed to strengthen how research impact is measured and communicated across Africa.

The African Research Universities Alliance (ARUA) convened a virtual briefing session on 10 June 2026 for the first batch of Cohort 2 fellows under the ARUA Early Career Researchers (ECR) Fellowship Programme. The session brought together 32 researchers from across Africa who have recently begun their six-month placements at ARUA Centres of Excellence (CoEs) and Africa-Europe Clusters of Research Excellence (CoREs).

ARUA joined fellow partners in Nairobi, Kenya, on 15–16 April 2026 for the CB‑SITS Africa Validation Workshop, convened under the 2026 Annual CB‑SITS Partners’ Meeting hosted by the Consortium for Advanced Research Training in Africa (CARTA). The workshop formed part of a Carnegie Corporation of New York‑supported initiative to build a comprehensive, digital Capacity Building and Scientific Impact Tracking System for Africa (CB‑SITS Africa).

When African researchers write, Africa should hear it. Yet for many, research still culminates in theses and journal articles that are largely accessed and read only by peers and disciplinary specialists.​ The African Research Universities Alliance (ARUA) is determined to change that story by supporting its Early Career Researchers (ECRs) to move from “research done” to “research heard, seen and used.”​

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. Ntombifuthi Precious Nzimande is a lecturer within the Discipline of Geography at the University of KwaZulu-Natal (UKZN), South Africa. She received her Bachelors of Social Sciences in Geography and Environmental Management, Bachelor of Science (Honours), and Masters of Science qualifications from UKZN, and her Doctoral in Earth Sciences from the University of Szeged (summa cum laude). Ntombifuthi has recently completed her studies in Postgraduate Diploma in Higher Education also from UKZN. Her research interests are multidisciplinary – cutting across geography, environmental education, disaster management. She is currently working on different projects involving environmental education, disaster management, green campus initiatives.

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.

Palesa Nqambaza is an essayist and researcher whose work sits at the intersections of gender and race studies within the context of South African political history. Her work draws from indigenous epistemologies and various Black cultural forms to explore the intellectual and political dimensions of contemporary South Africa. Her current core project is an intellectual archaeology of South African feminist traditions. She is a CDTA Postdoctoral fellow at the University of the Witwatersrand, South Africa, and a recipient of the ARUA Early Career Fellowship, based at the Notions of Identity, Centre of Excellence.

Dr. Precious Wapukha is a lecturer of History in the department of social sciences Kibabii University. She holds a PhD in History from Masinde Muliro University, MA in History from Kibabii University, Bachelors of Education (Arts) from Moi University. Her research focuses on conflict, gender, governance and indigenous knowledge. She is a member of CODESRIA and the African Studies Center Leiden. She has participated in reputable workshops including MIASA, UNESCO and SSRC. She is also an AFRIAK Fellow researching about digitization of Bukusu oral histories as a pathway to cultural preservation.

Dr. Rapheal Wangalwa is a Lecturer in the Department of Biology at Mbarara University of Science and Technology (MUST), Uganda. He holds a PhD in Biology with specialization in Ecology and Ethnobotany. He is dedicated to advancing ecological research and biodiversity conservation while applying science-based solutions to pressing environmental and public health challenges. With expertise in ecology, microbiology, and GIS/Remote Sensing, he contributes to evidence-based policy and capacity building. Dr. Wangalwa is a PI/Co-PI on several projects, including the FUNGI-BIP a mycorrhizal fungi study project (SPUN-Funded), INTERACT-Africa green technologies initiative (EU-Funded), agro-climatic suitability modelling for key food crops (GoU-Funded), and the Novartem™ and pharma-grade excipients development project (GoU-Funded).