Conference Committees

Dr. Mussa Ally Dida is a Senior Lecturer at the Nelson Mandela African Institution of Science and Technology (NM-AIST) and currently serves as the Deputy Center Leader for the Centre of Excellence of ICT in East Africa (CENIT@EA) and a chairman of 5 university consortium including AKU, SFU, SUA, UDSM, and NM-AIST

Since earning his PhD from the Beijing Institute of Technology in 2017, Dr. Dida has become a prolific mentor, supervising over 45 postgraduate graduates, including 10 PhDs. He has coordinated major projects such as the DAAD In-Country/In-Region Scholarship Scheme, Erasmus+ KA171, and dSkills@EA. With over 100 peer-reviewed publications, his research focuses on communication systems, embedded systems, cybersecurity, and applied artificial intelligence.

Dr. Zamir Punja is a Professor in the Department of Biological Sciences at Simon Fraser University. His research focuses on plant pathogens affecting a range of crop systems, including small fruits, greenhouse vegetables, wasabi, ginseng, and cannabis. His work integrates plant pathology and biotechnology to better understand disease etiology and develop effective management strategies, with a current emphasis on pathogens impacting cannabis growth, quality, and yield.

He completed his BSc in Plant Sciences at the University of British Columbia, followed by an MSc and PhD in Plant Pathology from the University of California, Davis. After a postdoctoral appointment, he held a joint position with North Carolina State University and Campbell Soup Company, and later worked with Campbell Soup Company across North Carolina, California, and New Jersey before joining Simon Fraser University.

His research program combines studies of fungal disease control with advanced approaches in plant tissue culture, molecular biology, biological control and genetic engineering to enhance plant resistance to disease.

Sulle is an Assistant Professor and Director of the Aga Khan University’s Arusha Climate and Environmental Research Centre in Tanzania. He is a leading scholar in African agrarian studies and a contributor to the Network of Excellence on Land Governance in Africa.

He holds a PhD in Poverty, Land and Agrarian Studies from the University of the Western Cape (South Africa) and a Master’s degree in Public Policy, specializing in Environmental Policy, from the University of Maryland (USA). His academic achievements include awards such as the Harvard University Doctoral Student Fellowship and the CODESRIA Doctoral Grant. Sulle currently holds a Global Faculty position at the University of Cologne (Germany), serves as an Adjunct Professor at Simon Fraser University (Canada), and is a Research Fellow at the University of the Western Cape.

Before joining AKU, he worked at the University of the Western Cape, where he led multidisciplinary research teams on complex projects across Eastern, Southern, Western, and Northern Africa. These include large-scale studies on women’s land rights in seven countries and development corridors in four countries in Eastern and Southern Africa. His current research focuses on climate change, sustainable agriculture and food systems, policy analysis, the green economy, biodiversity, land tenure, and agrarian transformation in Africa.

Dr. MAAGI, Mtaki Thomas is a Lecturer in the Clean Energy Technologies Research Group within the School of Materials, Energy, Water and Environmental Sciences (MEWES) at the Nelson Mandela African Institution of Science and Technology (NM-AIST). He holds a PhD in Oil and Natural Gas Engineering and specializes in both conventional and emerging energy systems. His research focuses on natural gas engineering, oil-well cementing, and drilling fluid technology, alongside advanced areas such as nanotechnology for energy applications and geothermal energy systems. Dr. Maagi is also actively engaged in clean energy technologies and low carbon solutions, energy conversion and storage, contributing to innovative solutions for energy efficiency and environmental sustainability. Dr. Maagi has authored and co-authored several science citation index publications. He actively contributes to the academic community as a reviewer and editorial board member for both local and international scientific journals, supporting the advancement of research in energy sectorDr. MAAGI, Mtaki Thomas is a Lecturer in the Clean Energy Technologies Research Group within the School of Materials, Energy, Water and Environmental Sciences (MEWES) at the Nelson Mandela African Institution of Science and Technology (NM-AIST). He holds a PhD in Oil and Natural Gas Engineering and specializes in both conventional and emerging energy systems. His research focuses on natural gas engineering, oil-well cementing, and drilling fluid technology, alongside advanced areas such as nanotechnology for energy applications and geothermal energy systems. Dr. Maagi is also actively engaged in clean energy technologies and low carbon solutions, energy conversion and storage, contributing to innovative solutions for energy efficiency and environmental sustainability. Dr. Maagi has authored and co-authored several science citation index publications. He actively contributes to the academic community as a reviewer and editorial board member for both local and international scientific journals, supporting the advancement of research in energy sector.

Senior Research Fellow in Social Development and Community Resilience. Specializes in gender equity, indigenous rights, and youth participation in decision-making.

International development practitioner with 15+ years experience in social protection programs across Sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia.

Dr. Godiana Hagile Philipo is a Lecturer and Researcher in the School of Materials, Energy, Water, and Environmental Sciences (MEWES) at the Nelson Mandela African Institution of Science and Technology (NM-AIST). She holds a PhD in Electrical Engineering, specializing in Sustainable Energy Science and Engineering. Her research areas include demand-side energy management, smart grids, renewable energy technologies, and sustainable solutions for climate resilience and rural energy access.

Dr. Hagile is actively involved in multidisciplinary research and innovation projects addressing clean energy technologies, energy management approaches, and sustainable community development. She has experience in supervising undergraduate and postgraduate research, proposal development, and collaborative international research initiatives. Her work also explores innovative technologies for energy efficiency, low-carbon development, and resilient energy systems for underserved communities.

Dr. Hagile has authored and co-authored several scientific publications and actively contributes to academic and professional communities through research collaborations, conference participation, mentorship, and technical review activities in the fields of energy and sustainability.

Ms. Ritha Ituwe is a Grant Accountant at the Nelson Mandela African Institution of Science and Technology (NM-AIST), where she oversees the financial management and compliance of more than 65 donor-funded research and development projects.

Her expertise spans grant accounting, financial reporting, budgetary control, fund reconciliation, and regulatory compliance within complex multi-stakeholder funding environments. She is highly experienced in financial risk management, cost allocation, audit coordination, and ensuring adherence to institutional, donor, and international financial governance frameworks.

Ritha plays a strategic role in strengthening financial accountability, optimizing resource utilization, and supporting sustainable project execution through robust financial oversight and analytical reporting. With a strong foundation in accounting and finance, she is committed to advancing transparency, fiscal integrity, and operational excellence in research grant management and institutional finance.

Dr. Esther G. Kimaro is a veterinarian, lecturer, and researcher specializing in veterinary infectious diseases and the One Health approach. Her research focuses on the epidemiology of infectious diseases including zoonosis and vector-borne diseases of livestock and public health importance using One Health approach, disease surveillance and participatory epidemiology. She currently trains postgraduate students in epidemiology of infectious diseases and One Health approach.

Dr. Kimaro also supervises more than 15 MSc and PhD scholars at NM-AIST, and through regional collaborations. She has authored and co-authored over 30 peer-reviewed publications and has led and contributed to multiple research projects addressing livestock and public health challenges, disease epidemiology, early warning systems, climate resilience and health systems, also community engagement particularly in resource-limited settings. Her recent work emphasizes community based One Health interventions aimed at improving health outcomes at the human, animal, and environment interface. She is a recipient of the OWSD-UNESCO Early Career Fellowship (2024–2026), the Afrique One-REACH Fellowship (2024–2025), and the Plowright One Health Mentoring Scheme (2025–2026).

Dr. Grite Nelson Mwaijengo is a Lecturer and Researcher in Eco-Hydrology at the Nelson Mandela African Institution of Science and Technology (NM-AIST), where she serves as Chair of the Water and Sanitation Research Group. She holds a PhD in Biology (Eco-hydrology) from KU Leuven, Belgium, and has spent over a decade pioneering science-driven solutions to East Africa's most pressing water, health, and climate challenges.

Her signature achievement “building Tanzania's first Freshwater Biodiversity Data Portal” stands as a landmark in national environmental data infrastructure strengthening the link between ecological science and public policy. Her work has been recognised by VLIR-UOS Belgium, the British Ecological Society, GBIF, DAAD, and the African Centre for Aquatic Research and Education (ACARE), among others. An experienced international conference speaker, Dr. Mwaijengo has presented at forums across Africa, Europe, Australia, and the United States. She is committed to mentoring the next generation of African scientists, supervising both PhD and Master's students, and to advancing gender equity in STEM through her involvement in the African Women in Science fellowship programme.

Dr. Bashir Adelodun is a distinguished academic and engineer renowned for his significant contributions to environmental science and sustainability through transdisciplinary research approach. He holds PhD in Agricultural Civil Engineering from Kyungpook National University, South Korea and a Registered Practicing Engineer with the Council for the Regulation of Engineering in Nigeria (COREN). He is a member of several professional bodies including American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers. He is currently a research fellow at Aga Khan University's Arusha Climate and Environmental Research Centre.

His research reflects a broad range of interests, including water resources and environmental management, sustainable food systems, and climate adaptation and resilience. He has authored/co-authored more than 100 peer-reviewed research publications indexed in Scopus and Web of science databases. Through his innovative and impactful scholarship, Dr. Adelodun continues to advance in the field of environmental science by contributing to sustainable and practical solutions for pressing global environmental challenges.

Dr. Lawrence Nehemiah Mdegela is a lecturer and researcher at The Nelson Mandela African Institution of Science and Technology (NM-AIST), Tanzania, specializing in artificial intelligence, scientific machine learning, and data-driven environmental systems. His research focuses on applying AI and deep learning techniques to extreme weather prediction, hydrological forecasting, and community-centered climate resilience solutions.

He is a National Geographic Explorer and Principal Investigator of the CFLOW project, which develops community-driven flood early warning systems in Tanzania’s Pangani Basin through participatory design, integration of local knowledge, and low-cost sensing technologies. Beyond academia, he is involved in technology innovation and digital capacity building through ComTech Alliance and iCraftAI, supporting AI education, research, and applied solutions for African communities.