Meet the 2023 ASIC Ghana speakers! The conference will have presentations on topics ranging from network management to data analysis and air quality communication. We are excited to be hosting high level speakers from the Ghana government and including researchers from several countries as key speakers.
Dr. Francis Olawale Abulude
CEO, Environmatal and Sustainable Research Group, Science and Education Developmet Institute
Dr. Francis Olawale Abulude is an independent researcher, environmental consultant, and the Chief Executive Officer of the Science and Education Development Institute, Akure, Ondo State, Nigeria. Dr. Abulude received his PGD in Industrial Chemistry from the Federal University of Technology, Akure, Ondo State, Nigeria, and his MTech and PhD degrees in Analytical Chemistry from the Federal University of Technology, Minna, Niger State, Nigeria. Also a PGDE from Uthman Danfodiyo University, Sokoto, Nigeria. He was once a worker at the University of Ife, Ile-Ife, now Obafemi Awolowo University before joining the Federal College of Agriculture, Akure, Ondo State. Dr. Abulude has published several articles in local and internal journals. His research interests are the characterization of the ambient aerosol, indoor and outdoor air quality, noise pollution, trace metals in food, air, soil, and water and their health implications. Dr. Abulude is a collaborator in many types of research both locally and internationally. He is ready to perform any collaborative work with interested researchers worldwide. Presently, his collaborative duties are on the characterization of particulate matter using low-cost sensors.
Poster Presenter
Mr. Usman Ahmed
Hardware Engineer, Code for Africa
B.Eng in mechatronics engineering, and a hardware engineer at Code for Africa. Previously worked at Dangote Sugar Refinery and NASENI.
Robotics and AI are my reality with a few breaks in between.
Joint winner of the 2018 Committee of Dean's in Engineering and Technology of Nigerian Universities (CODET) national engineering competition group category.
Speaking in session "Adapting LCS for smart air quality monitoring in African cities"
Dr. Rose Alani
University of Lagos
Dr. Rose Alani, an Associate Professor at the University of Lagos, Nigeria, has over 17 years of experience in teaching and research work on Environmental/Analytical Chemistry (2005-date). She is a trained Analyst under the Canadian Association for Environmental Analytical Laboratories (CAEAL) requirements at the Great Lakes Institute for Environmental Research (GLIER), University of Windsor, ON, Canada (2007-2008). She is internationally involved in air pollution, climate change, and environmental sustainability related researches. He had a six month post-doctoral research fellowship at the Institute of Photonic Sciences (ICFO), Barcelona, Spain, under the sponsorship of Mujeres por Africa Foundation in 2018. Her research interest covers soil and water pollution monitoring; modeling; ecological hazard and risk assessments, as research tools for the determination of contaminant distribution as influenced by carbon production dynamics. Monitoring and modeling Nigerian air quality for health risks of gaseous, particulates and persistent organic pollutants. She has over 30 articles in reputable Local and International Journals (see the links below).
o She has successfully supervised over 32 BSc and 64 Postgraduate students. She had her postdoctoral fellowship at the Institute of Photonic Sciences (ICFO) within the framework of the Science by Women programme under the sponsorship of Mujeres por Africa Foundation in 2018. She is a Fellow of (FIPAN), Member of Chemical Society of Nigeria (MCSN), Member Institute of Chartered Chemists (MICCON), Fellow Institute of Security of Nigeria (FISN), Member of Institute of Public Analyst (MIPAN), Member, International Association for Great Lakes Research (IAGLR), Member, Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry (SETAC), Member Royal Society of Chemists (RSC) and Member, Organization for women in Science for Developing World (OWSD). She is the Group Lead of the Air Quality Monitoring Research group of the University of Lagos (2015-date).
• Academic qualifications:
o B.Sc. Industrial Chemistry, Ahmadu Bello University, 1988
o MSc. Industrial Chemistry, University of Port Harcourt, 1993
o PhD Environmental/Analytical Chemistry, University of Lagos, 2011
Speaking in session "Mobilizing resources to support air quality monitoring research"
Dr. Kofi Amegah
Senior Lecturer, University of Cape Coast
I am a Senior Lecturer of Epidemiology and Biostatistics at the University of Cape Coast, Ghana with expertise in air pollution and nutritional exposure assessment, and quantification of the effects of these exposures for maternal, perinatal and cardiovascular health through use of varying statistical modeling techniques. I lead a public health research group at the Department of Biomedical Sciences with our work focused on the interface of nutritional and environmental determinants of adverse health outcomes in locations of Ghana using modern and robust epidemiological and statistical methods. I lead the Ghana Urban Air Quality Project (GHAir) which focuses on deploying mixture of low cost sensors and reference grade monitors in urban areas of Ghana to provide high spatio-temporal air pollution data for epidemiologic research, community advocacy and to bridge important data gaps in Ghana. I am a member of the International Society for Environmental Epidemiology (ISEE) and Nutrition Society UK, founding member of the AfriqAir Network, and collaborator of the Global Burden of Disease (GBD) studies. I participated in the WHO expert meetings of the Global Platform on Air Quality and Health, and presently a member of the Exposure Working Group of the WHO Global Air Pollution and Health – Technical Advisory Group (GAPH-TAG). I am a member of the Climate and Clean Air Coalition (CCAC) & Stockholm Environment Institute (SEI) Africa Integrated Assessment on Air Pollution, Climate Change and Sustainable Development Group and led the chapter on “Air quality and human health in Africa”. I serve on the editorial board of Public Health Nutrition (Associate Editor), Plos ONE (Academic Editor), Plos Global Public Health (Academic Editor), Medicine (Epidemiology section), Environmental Epidemiology, and Journal of Exposure Science and Environmental Epidemiology. I have over 14 years teaching experience at the University level and teaches courses in Epidemiology, Biostatistics, Nutrition and Environmental Health.
Keynote Speaker
Mr. Desmond Appiah
Clean Air Fund
Desmond brings 21 years of experience in business sustainability-related projects in private sector, manufacturing, academia, forestry, mining, agro-business, and commercial entities across Europe, USA, and Africa.
Prior to joining Clean Air Fund, Desmond was the Programme Manager for African Cities for Clean Air (AC4CA) initiative of C40 Climate Leadership Group. Prior to that he was the C40 City Advisor and Chief Resilience and Sustainability Advisor to the Mayor of the City of Accra at the Accra Metropolitan Assembly. He coordinated city programmes aimed at ensuring sustainable city development in areas pertaining to air quality, waste management, climate change, road safety, disaster planning and management, with a charge to integrate management structures for enhancing urban resilience.
Desmond holds an MS (Environmental Protection & Safety Management) from St. Joseph’s University, Philadelphia USA, an MSc (Energy and Sustainable Development) from De Montfort University, Leicester UK, and a Bachelors with Honours from the University of Ghana. He holds other post-graduate certificates in multiple areas.
Speaking in session "Mobilizing resources to support air quality monitoring research"
Mr. Emmanuel Appoh
Assistant Facility Manager, Afri-SET Evaluation and Testing Facility, Department of Physics, University of Ghana
Poster Presenter
Dr. Adrian Arfire
Airparif
Adrian Arfire an engineer in the Metrology & Innovation service of Airparif, specialized on projects involving the IoT, embedded and distributed wireless sensor systems, and using his knowledge of intelligent sensing systems to contribute to Airparif’s digital strategy and the adoption of novel sensing technologies. Since 2019, he has been the project leader for the recurrent AIRLAB Microsensors Challenge, an international voluntary evaluation program that seeks to provide an independent and objective evaluation of the performance of microsensor based devices available on the market.
Before joining Airparif, he received his Ph.D. in Robotics, Control, and Intelligent Systems from the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Lausanne (EPFL) in 2016, with a thesis on “Mobile Sensor Networks for Air Quality Monitoring in Urban Settings”. During his thesis, he was in charge of the technical development and the management of the Lausanne wireless sensor network deployment for the Nano-Tera.ch OpenSense project – which strived at a better understanding of urban air pollution and its effect on citizen health by leveraging novel sensing technologies.
Speaking in session "Sensor Evaluation & Analysis"
Dr. Raphael Arku
Department of Environmental Health Sciences, School of Public Health and Health Sciences, University of Massachusetts
My research interests integrate these themes in the context of urbanization, epidemiological transition, and climate change. Specifically, my research focuses on how these features of the social and physical environment influence environmental exposures and health in resource-poor settings. We collect and analyze primary field data. Also, we use analytical models to combine primary and secondary data to estimate health impacts of exposure to risk factors and their interventions at the population level.
Internationally, I am currently leading the Ghana component of a multi-investigator, multi-country project titled “Pathways to Equitable Healthy Cities,” which aims to understand how actions related to water, sanitation, housing, transportation, and urban services affect health and health inequalities in cities in six countries.
Locally in the U.S., with support from the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health JPB Environmental Health Fellowship Program, I am partnering with colleagues from the Baystate Health and Baystate Medical Center to understand how factors in the living environment may influence chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) exacerbation and readmissions among communities in Western Massachusetts that are differentially affected by high rates of COPD readmissions.
Poster Presenter
Dr. Prince Asilevi Jr.
Researcher, Regional Water and Environmental Sanitation Centre Kumasi, Department of Civil Engineering, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology
Prince Asilevi Junior holds a BSc., MPhil., and Ph.D. in Physics, Meteorology, Climate Science, and Environmental Sanitation from Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Ghana and Jiangsu University, P.R. China. With expertise in modeling climate, earth, and environmental systems, as well as developing environmental technology, he utilizes MATLAB and CDT for data analysis from satellite and in-situ observations. His Ph.D. work focused on air pollution science and control using atmospheric non-thermal plasma technology. He has published scientific papers in Scopus-indexed journals, and is involved in research projects related to climate-environment nexus, urban air quality science, and management. Prince can be contacted via email at ev_asilevi@yahoo.com or pjasilevi7@st.knust.edu.gh for further inquiries or collaborations.
Poster Presenter
Mr. Engineer Bainomugisha
Associate Professor, AirQo
I am an Associate Professor of Computer Science and the Chair of the Department of Computer Science at Makerere University. My research focuses on Computer Science-driven solutions to the prevailing world challenges. I am also passionate about contributing to quality Computer Science education that is of sufficient breath and depth, practical and fast enough. Currently, I lead several innovative and research initiatives that aim to create and apply computational methods and tools that can improve the quality of life especially in the developing world setting. My current research projects include building and deploying distributed systems of miniature IoT/mobile devices to: measure and derive trends of air quality in over 50 urban centers in Uganda to tackle the growing air pollution challenge in developing countries; monitor soil conditions to help farms make smart decisions; measure the quality of road infrastructure in Uganda to help municipalities and road users. Together with my team we are also building a multi-cloud solution that supports portability of apps and services between private and public clouds while taking into account unique African realities like bandwidth constraints, Internet and power outages.
Keynote Speaker
Dr. Solomon Bililign
Professor, University of North Carolina A&T University
Dr. Solomon Bililign joined NCA&T in 1993. He did his undergraduate and MS work in Physics at Addis Ababa University, Ethiopia, PhD at the University of Iowa and postdoctoral research fellowship at the University of Utah Department of Chemistry. His area of specialization includes Experimental and Theoretical Atomic, Molecular and Optical Physics /and Chemical Physics. He built research capacity in chemical physics and atmospheric sciences at NCA&T with a combined federal grant of over 23 million. He served as the Department Chair. In 2010 he was the recipient of the Presidential Award for Excellence in Science, mathematics and Engineering. He has received the senior researcher award for NCAT in 2002 and 2017, Interdisciplinary research team award in 2012, teaching excellence award in 2006, 2015 and 2018.
2010 Alumni Fellows of College of Liberal Arts and Sciences , The University of Iowa.
2022 Nominee for AGU Fellow.
Poster Presenter and speaking in session "Data Collection, Analysis and Interpretation"
Ms. Maclina Birungi
Marketing Communications Lead, AirQo
Maclina is a climate change enthusiast that takes pride in using her knowledge and skills for social good. As a chartered marketer, Maclina believes brand relevance and consumer centricity is a holy grail in a constantly changing world.
She has over 8 years of professional experience in designing specific market context strategies, market research, brand development, development communication, public relations, and events management. Currently Maclina spearheads the development of creative marketing and communications strategies for AirQo’s work and has been fundamental in designing and implementing participatory community approaches to air pollution management.
She holds a Postgraduate Diploma in Professional Marketing from the Chartered Institute of Marketing, UK, a Master of Science Degree in International Marketing Management from the University of Leeds, UK and a Bachelor of Arts degree in Public Relations and Media Management.
Speaking in session "Utilizing Various Communication Strategy to Increase Public Engagement on Air Pollution"
Dr. Núria Castell
NILU Climate and Environment Research Institute
Núria Castell is a Senior Scientist at NILU Climate and Environment Research Institute and chair of the air quality working group at the European Citizen Science Association (ECSA). Her research interests combine air pollution, citizen science, environmental governance, and sustainable cities. She is leading the Technology and Society research group at NILU, that focuses on the uptake and validation of sensor technologies and citizens observations for policy and research, and co-creative experimentation in urban living labs.
Poster Presenter and speaking in session "Sensor Evaluation & Analysis"
Mr. Nsikak Charles
Student Researcher, Tropical Research And Conservation Center (TRCC)
Poster Presenter
Mr. Ngongang Danube
Stockholm Environment Institute Africa
Ngongang Wandji Danube Kirt is a Research Fellow, Data Science and Air Quality Management at SEI Africa.
He is an air quality analyst with diverse research background in energy efficiency in built environment with a focus on clean energy solutions to address the lighting and cooking needs for municipalities including in informal settlements, and inclusive frontier technologies to improve access, coverage and quality of basic services such as energy, water and sanitation, and air quality data management.
Ngongang has 6 years of project and research experience in conducting empirical (field-based) research on air pollution control, energy, transport, housing, and infrastructure sectors. He has worked in West Africa (Togo, Benin Republic, Ghana), Central Africa (Cameroon) and East Africa (Kenya).
Speaking in session "Adapting LCS for smart air quality monitoring in African cities"
Ms. Misbath Daouda
PhD Candidate, Columbia Mailman School of Public Health
A dedicated and implementation-driven environmental health researcher; interest in cumulative impacts of climate change and socioeconomic factors on health outcomes; commitment to conducting research in a policy-relevant framework. Fluent in French and Spanish.
Poster Presenter
Ms. Victory Dennis
Student, University of Uyo
I'm Victory Dennis, graduate of Geography and Natural Resources Management, certified for BSc degree, from the University of Uyo, Nigeria. Enthusiastic about climate change and ways to mitigate it's negative effect through air sensory data and its applications, mapping out areas with dire need for support.
Poster Presenter
Dr. Langley Dewitt
Director, International Global Atmospheric Chemistry
PhD atmospheric chemist with a global perspective (past work in the US, Europe, and East Africa). Now working as the IGAC director (IGACproject.org) to facilitate international community and collaboration in the field of atmospheric chemistry. Previously worked as a research scientist on air quality and astrobiology and as an air quality specialist and project manager.
Speaking in session: "Mobilizing resources to support air quality monitoring research"
Dr. Sebastian Diez
Researcher, Universidad del Desarrollo
I am a Chemical Engineer (2006), Master in Environmental Engineering (2011), and Doctor in Engineering (2015). I currently work at the University of York as a researcher developing instruments for measuring air quality.
From 1999 to 2010 I worked at Volkswagen, first developing as a production operator (until 2005) after which I worked in the company's quality area.
Shortly after finishing my undergraduate studies (2007), I began working as a teacher at the university, first in the undergraduate and eventually in the postgraduate courses (since 2011). At the age of 30, I started my PhD and left the industry.
My thesis was on the implementation of different modeling tools to support decision making for air quality policies and I have developed my experience in industrial emissions measurements, air quality measurement campaigns, air quality modeling , remote sensors and low-cost air quality sensors.
I have participated (and currently continue to do so) in academic projects, as well as technology transfer and as an advisor. I have been fortunate to collaborate with local and regional governments, NGOs, and science and technology institutions (CONAE), which has contributed to the development of my experience in diverse work teams, resulting in a vision focused on problem resolution. .
Poster Presenter
Dr. Ekanem Ekanem
Professor, University of Uyo
Poster Presenter
Dr. Imoh Ekpa
Doctor of Atmospheric Physics, Federal University of Technology Ikot Abasi
I am an Atmospheric Physicist with research interest in tropical meteorology, atmospheric dynamics, and climate variability and change. The world is under serious threat by climate change. The amount of particulate matter and other air pollutants is increasing geometrically. Same with rainfall, and drought. I enjoy unraveling challenges by building climatic models using historical data. I believe in fieldwork. We only have one Earth, let's keep it safe.
Poster Presenter
Mr. Church Essien
University of Uyo
Poster Presenter
Dr. Igwe-Steve O. Ewona
Professor, Environmental Monitoring and Energy Research Group-Africa, EMERGAfri
Poster Presenter
Dr. Rebecca Garland
University of Pretoria
My background is in atmospheric chemistry, with a focus on air quality and climate change, and science-policy linkages. My group's research focus is on improving the understanding of air quality and atmospheric science in southern Africa using multiple data streams. This includes emissions inventory development, air quality modelling, using ground-based and remote sensing measurements, evidence-based air quality management planning, and the linkages between air quality and climate change in a regional to urban scale. Her group are part of the Laboratory for Atmospheric Science at the University of Pretoria (https://www.up.ac.za/laboratory-for-atmospheric-studies-las).
Speaking in session "Adapting LCS for smart air quality monitoring in African Cities"
Dr. Christa Hasenkopf
University of Chicago, EPIC & OpenAQ
Christa Hasenkopf is the Director of Air Quality Life Index (AQLI) and Air Quality Programs at EPIC. Her career focuses on efforts that open up information, resources, and networks so that more people in more places can help make the air they breathe healthier. Previously, she co-founded and was the CEO of OpenAQ, an environmental tech non-profit, which fosters a global community around the world’s largest open database of air quality information. She has also served as the Chief Air Pollution Advisor to the Office of Medical Services at the US Department of State and in multiple positions at the US Agency for International Development. Hasenkopf received a PhD in Atmospheric & Oceanic Sciences from the University of Colorado and a BS in Astronomy & Astrophysics from The Pennsylvania State University.
Keynote Speaker and Poster Presenter
Dr. Allison Hughes
University of Ghana
Dr. Allison F. Hughes is currently a Senior Lecturer in the Department of Physics, University of Ghana. He has over 15 years of experience in research, teaching and consulting in Atmospheric Physics. Dr. Hughes holds a Doctor of Philosophy degree in Physics from the University of Ghana. He was also a Special Fellow at the Faculty of Arts and Science of Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA. His research interest includes characterization, modelling and source apportionment of airborne particulate matter in locations with varying socioeconomic status where air quality poses a significant health hazard to the local vulnerable population. He has provided expert advice, capacity building and support to EPA Ghana staff for the deployment of federal reference monitors and a network of low-cost PM sensors in Ghana. His current research involves field calibration and performance evaluation of low-cost air quality sensors. Dr. Hughes is also the head of the air quality lab and facility manager of the Afri-SET: The air quality Sensor Evaluation and Training centre for West Africa at the Department of Physics, University of Ghana. He has served as consultant for the World Bank and UNEP. He has published several articles in peer-review journals.
Poster Presenter, Speaking in sessions "Mobilizing resources to support air quality monitoring research" and "Sensor Evaluation & Analysis"
Mr. Ini Jimmy
Vice President, The Speakers' Network
Poster Presenter
Mr. Abdou Safari Kagabo
Assistant Lecturer & PhD Student, University of Rwanda
Speaking in session "Community-based participation in using LCS"
Mr. Egide Kalisa
Lecturer, University of Rwanda
Egide Kalisa is a Postdoct in Canada. His research focuses on children’s exposure to air pollution in Rwanda and Canada. Before that, he obtained a Ph.D. in Health and Environmental Science from the Auckland University of Technology in New Zealand and an MSc in Air Pollution Management and Control from the University of Birmingham in the UK. Dr. Kalisa is the recipient of the Fogarty Emerging Global Leader Award, recognizing the great potential of promising young scientists.
Speaking in session "Policy Management"
Dr. Monika Kamkuemah
Postdoctoral Fellow, University of Pretoria
Dr. Kamkuemah is a postdoctoral fellow in the Department of Architecture at the University of Pretoria with a joint appointment at Innovation Africa@UP, where she runs the UrbanBetter Satellite Lab. She obtained her PhD from the School of Public Health and Family Medicine at the University of Cape Town, which explored non-communicable disease multimorbidity in adolescents and youth living with HIV in the context of urbanisation and epidemiological transition. With a background in epidemiology and biostatistics, she has over ten years of experience in HIV research, health systems strengthening, and project management. She has a strong passion for urban health, adolescent health, and creative approaches to disease prevention and promoting well-being. She is currently a Wellcome Trust/Dalberg Climate and Health Change maker and her current focus involves the convergence of urban health, climate change, air pollution, the built environment, and citizen science.
Speaking in session "Utilizing Various Communication Strategies to Increase Public Engagement on Air Pollution"
Mr. Vikas Kumar
PhD Scholar, Indian Institute of Technology Bombay
Poster Presenter
Dr. Brigitte Language
NWU
Dr. Language is a researcher specializing in air quality and climate. She obtained her undergraduate degree in Geography and Geology, followed by the completion of her PhD in Geography and Environmental Management. Currently, she holds a position within the Climatology Research Group, which is part of the Unit for Environmental Science and Management at North-West University (South Africa). Her contributions to the field are evident through her publications in reputable local and international journals. Additionally, she has actively participated in numerous conferences, air quality and climate-related topics. Her research expertise lies in ground-based measurements of air quality in both indoor and ambient environments. She has been involved in research projects linked to diverse areas such as offsets, ambient and indoor air quality, source apportionment, ocean-atmosphere linkage, and the evaluation of air quality instrumentation. Dr. Language's commitment to advancing the understanding of air quality and climate is evident in her continuous engagement with the scientific community. Her work not only contributes to the existing body of knowledge but also has practical implications for environmental management and policymaking.
Speaking in session "Sensor Evaluation & Analysis"
Dr. Jackline Lidubwi
Internews Network
Jackline Lidubwi is a multi-award-winning communications professional whose career in journalism, media training and management across public and non-governmental sectors spans over 20 years.
Jackline works as the Project Coordinator of Clean Air Catalyst in Nairobi for Internews Earth Journalism Network, previously she was the Project Lead for the Inclusive Media Project at Internews where she trained journalists on the inclusion and participation of Persons with Disabilities in media in Sub-Saharan Africa specifically in Tanzania, Kenya, Liberia, DRC and Cote d’Ivoire.
She was the Head of Station at Y254 television and Senior Producer at Kenya Broadcasting Corporation where she founded “Abled Differently” which is the first disability specific program in Kenya. She also worked in academia as an adjunct lecturer at the University of Nairobi, St. Paul’s University, and the Kenya Institute of Mass Communication.
Jackline was a 2017 American Disability Act (ADA) fellow at The University of Massachusetts and a Global Change Leader trained at the renowned Coady International Institute in Canada.
She won several media awards which include the Disability Mainstreaming Award for 2017, Annual Disability Rights and Advocacy Award (ADARA) as a Media Activist for Persons with Disabilities in 2014 and UNFPA/KEMEP Award (2013) as Best Television Producer in the Female Genital Mutilation category.
She is passionate about social justice and has published widely on disability, inclusion and the media. Her most recent publication is a book chapter in Disability and Social Justice in Kenya: Scholars, Policymakers, and Activists in Conversation. She champions for women rights, disability rights and the inclusion of the marginalized through her YouTube channel. She regularly speaks on women rights and disability inclusion at local and international conferences.
Jackline has completed her doctoral thesis, which is currently under review by the dissertation committee at Jomo Kenyatta University of Technology. She holds a Master of Arts degree in Communication Studies from the University of Nairobi, a Bachelor of Arts degree in Communication studies from St Paul’s University, and a Diploma in Mass Communication from the Kenya Institute of Mass Communication. She received training in Media Campaigns for Social Change and Development at Radio Netherlands Training Centre in 2017.
Speaking in session "Utilizing Various Communication Strategies to Increase Public Engagement on Air Pollution"
Mr. Solomon Otoo Lomotey
University of Environment and Sustainable Development, Somanya
A Space Geophysicist with an enthusiasm for Space Science, who is dedicated
to lifelong learning and professional development, and has a genuine interest in
improving the quality of Space Science Education, Atmospheric Sciences and
related topics.
Speaking in session "Making Sense of Sensor Data"
Ms. Dorothy Lsoto
University of Wisconsin Madison
Dorothy Lsoto is a graduate student pursuing her Ph.D. in Environment and Resources at the Nelson Institute for Environmental Studies. Prior to graduate school, Dorothy has been working in East Africa, Uganda on several renewable energy research projects like solar, biomass and biogas. She has also done a lot of work with air quality in institutions and schools using biogas versus firewood for cooking. She loves working with communities and introducing them to clean energies. Her main interests are renewable energy; currently she works with Prof. Jonathan Patz. Dorothy was awarded the EAP International Student Scholarship in 2018.
Speaking in session "Adapting LCS for smart air quality monitoring in African Cities"
Mr. Gideon Maina
Senior IoT Engineer, Code for Africa
Gideon Maina is an air quality technologist with sensors.AFRICA, a pan-African citizen science initiative to monitor air and sound pollution. Gideon is responsible for the development of the sensors' hardware and technology infrastructure to disseminate and analyze data. Together with other partners, Gideon ocacssionannly participates in community engagements about the health effects of poor air quality and pollution in generation.
Gideon is a vocal advocate for the standardization of air quality monitoring exercises and data harmonization in space of low-cost sensor networks.
Speaking in session "Adapting LCS for smart air quality monitoring in African Cities"
Mr. Vasudev Malyan
PhD Scholar, Indian Institute of Technology Bombay
Poster Presenter
Mr. Jacob Mbarndouka Taamté
Research Scientist, Research Centre for Nuclear Science and Technology, Institute of Geological and Mining Research
Speaking in session "Adapting Low Cost Sensors for smart air quality monitoring in African Cities"
Dr. Robert Mbiake
Professor, University of Douala
Poster Presenter
Dr. Iq Mead
Head of Air Quality Management, Imperial College
Dr. Iq Mead commenced the role of Head of Air Quality Measurement in the ERG team at Imperial College London in December 2021. As part of this role his responsibilities include the London Air Quality Network of reference grade instruments, as well as the Breathe London hyper-local community sensor network.
Keynote Speaker
Mujtaba Mohammed Nuhu
Senior Health Research Officer, Kintampo Health Research Centre
Poster Presenter
Dr. Raeesa Moolla
Senior Lecturer, University of the Witwatersrand
Poster Presenter
Mr. Lindelani Munyadziwa
Specialist in Air Quality Monitoring and Modeling, City of Johannesburg
Lindelani Munyadziwa is a specialist in air quality monitoring in the city of Johannesburg. Joined the City from 2013 as an intern and 2016 as a professional. He holds a bachelor's degree in environmental management and a post graduate degree. Over the years he has gained extensive knowledge and experience in the field of air quality monitoring, He is responsible for day-to-day operations on field work making sure the air quality monitoring stations are fully operational and are reporting credible scientific data to the south African air quality information system. He has been project manager for various procurement projects in acquiring new monitoring equipment's and technologies, station shelters to make sure the city is up to date with the latest technology in the industry. These were projects valued over R10million and were all successful, he is also part of a team responsible for data analysis for the air quality data using ENVISTA ARM system, which involves data validation, quality check, interpretation of the data and reporting. He is very much involved in the low-cost sensor project using the devices from CLARITY which measures PM and No2, the project has been going on for 2 years and is ending in November 2023.
Speaking in session "Policy Management"
Mr. Bernard Nana
Teacher and Researcher, Ecole Normale Supérieure
Poster Presenter
Ms. Josephine Ndiang'ui
Master's Student, Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology
Speaking in session "Data Collection, Analysis & Interpretation
Dr. Alex Ndyabakira
Head of Air Quality Management, Kampala Capital City Authority
Speaking in session "Policy Management"
Ms. Esi Nerquaye-Tetteh
Ghana EPA
Speaking in session "Data Utility & Action for Air Quality Management"
Mr. Moses Njeru
Air Quality Researcher, University of Nairobi
Poster Presenter
Dr. Paul Njogu
Senior Research Fellow, Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology
Poster Presenter
Mr. Anold Nsubuga
International Network Support Engineer, AirQo
Anold is an embedded systems and Network operator at AirQo. He is a passionate researcher on the evolution of communities and how cultural differences can be brought together to build great empires. In his quest for this passion, he discovered a love for Air Quality research and championing. At AirQo, Anold contributes to embedded systems developments and Network support, enjoying the shared vision of having Air Quality data accessible to all communities.
Poster Presenter
Mr. Justice Odoi
World Bank
Justice Odoiquaye Odoi is an international development expert, environment and natural resource specialist with over 16 years’ progressive professional experience working in Ghana, Sierra Leone and United States of America. His technical areas of expertise include environment and natural resources management (forestry, fisheries, water resources), agriculture and food security, climate change, biodiversity, environmental and social assessments, water quality assessments, capacity development, remote sensing and spatial analysis, systems analysis, air quality management, and monitoring and evaluation. He has worked with international development organizations, government and nongovernmental agencies and private institutions. He has extensive leadership skills in project management and capacity development. He is experienced in designing and implementing developmental programs and has led and managed long-term projects and contracts providing oversight, technical direction, and budget supervision. His expertise as a project manager includes managing technical scope, cost, schedule, procurements and mitigating risks of development projects. He has experience managing and working with diverse teams in multidiscipline organizational environment. He is also skilled in managing expectations and requirements of stakeholders and delivering on project results. For technical assignments he draws on his planning, analytical, communication and “people” skills to achieve objectives. He has excellent communication skills, both verbal and written and has produced a number of technical and project reports. He has also authored a number of research publications. Outside formal employment, Justice is a researcher and his research interest are interdisciplinary and traverses the natural and social sciences. He has profound interest in assessing the impact of human-environment interactions on natural systems. He integrates geospatial techniques and system thinking coupled with conventional approaches to study the interactions at the micro and macro levels. His core research areas include air and water quality, pollution, climate change, coastal processes, marine and aquaculture fisheries, land use dynamics, and ecosystem health. He has published widely in international peer-reviewed academic and scientific journals.
Speaking in session "Mobilizing resources to support air quality monitoring research"
Dr. Adebola Odunsi
LASEPA
A qualified Medical Doctor, and Masters Degree level Health and Safety professional with a keen desire to learn, strong attitude to work and uncompromising ethics. I am actively looking to network with Health and Safety professionals globally towards the establishment of a personal brand of excellence within the field.
My earnest interest is to gain experience and help chart the course of Health and Safety at a company with a rich history of forward thinking innovation, diverse investments, global presence, progressive efforts and commitment to the global warming challenge through astute sustainability ethics.
My professional qualifications and skills have exposed me to the design, implementation and audit of Incident management and investigation, Environmental impact assessments, Risk Management, Occupational Health and Safety Management systems (HSG65 and OHSAS).
Paramount is my drive to acquire knowledge, develop skills and my firm belief in team performance over individual glory.
It is also worthy to note that I have been actively involved in various capacities on about 20 construction projects ranging from new sites, refurbishments, sales and acquisitions, health and safety. I also in my spare time design health awareness schemes for various companies, which has improved my health training skills, proposal writing skills, presentation design and delivery as well as topic research skills.
Speaking in session "Data Utility & Action for Air Quality Management"
Mr. Deo Okedi
AirQo
Okedi Deogratius is a skilled electronics engineer. At AirQo he designs and builds Low-cost Air Quality monitor hardware and firmware. He is passionate about scientific knowledge sharing and application to innovate solutions for the African context. Among his interests are Low-power electronics design, sustainable energy systems, edge computing, robotics, and 3D printing. Okedi holds a BSc in computer engineering from Makerere University, enjoys walks, and listening to music.
Speaking in session "Adapting LCS for smart air quality monitoring in African Cities"
Dr. Gabriel Okello
University of Cambridge & African Centre for Clean Air
Gabriel’s current research interests focus on the interconnectivity between environmental health and disease with a view to helping foster healthier and safer communities. Gabriel has a wider ambition to raise public awareness of air pollution exposure and engage stakeholders across African cities to address the air pollution problem using evidence informed policies and programmes. Gabriel is also interested in increasing capacity and integrate air pollution data in healthcare, policy and practice and increasing air pollution, climate change and health awareness. His approach is centred on collaborative participatory involvement of actors within and outside academia (community, commercial and policy) into the co-production and co-design of context specific interventions to address non-communicable disease risk by focusing on air pollution in rapidly urbanising settings.
Keynote Speaker
Dr. Godwin Opinde
Researcher/Lecturer, Kenyatta University
Godwin Opinde is a lecturer in the Department of Environmental Planning and Management at Kenyatta University. He specialises in Environmental Planning with a focus on climate change adaptation and mitigation. His training is on education and environmental planning. He has experience in environmental matters both in the public service and academia.
Poster Presenter
Dr. Issoufou Ouarma
Assistant Professor, Universite NAZI boni / Centre universitaire de Banfora
Poster Presenter
Dr. Pallavi Pant
Health Effects Institute
Pallavi Pant leads HEI's Global Health program, which supports high-quality, rigorous science as well as science-based communication of the findings to policymakers, scientists, and advocates in regions around the world. She has more 12 years of experience in research and public engagement on air pollution, particularly in low- and middle-income countries. Her research has focused on urban air quality, including source apportionment and exposure monitoring and assessment. She also has extensive science communication experience and is active in several initiatives to promote public understanding of air pollution and its impacts. She serves on the editorial boards for Air Quality, Atmosphere & Health and PLOS Global Health and is the social media editor for the Journal of Exposure Science & Environmental Epidemiology. She holds a Master’s in environmental sciences from TERI School of Advanced Studies, India, and a Ph.D. in Environmental Health from the University of Birmingham, UK.
Keynote Speaker
Dan Paul
ClimAQ Nigeria
Poster Presenter
Dr. Felix Paul
University of Uyo
Poster Presenter
Vignesh Prabhu
Senior Associate, Center for Study of Science Technology and Policy
Dr Vignesh Prabhu S is Senior Associate in the Atmospheric Composition Observations group (air quality) at CSTEP. He has a Master's in Environmental Management from Forest Research Institute, Dehradun, and a Bachelor's in Industrial Biotechnology from Government College of Technology, Coimbatore. He received his PhD in Environmental Science from Doon University, Dehradun. Prior to joining CSTEP, he worked as a Lecturer at Baba Farid Institute of Technology, Dehradun. His areas of interest include air pollution monitoring, source apportionment, chemical characterisation, exposure assessment, and data analysis.
Poster Presenter
Dr. Reginald Quansah
Ghana EPA
My research focuses on children and women’s environmental health and, more broadly, assessing environmental exposures and their potential health effects in highly vulnerable populations including mothers, children, low-income/underserved communities, and occupational populations. Specifically, I am interested in assessing the impact of environmental exposures in homes and at schools; and the health impacts of pesticides, indoor biomass, outdoor air pollution, climate change, and chemicals in consumer products on vulnerable populations. I also seek to take my research a step further and design and implement interventions to mitigate environmental exposures and minimize the risk of potential adverse health outcomes.I have experience working in women’s environmental health research and conducting exposure and epidemiologic pesticide and indoor biomass research. I have expertise in methods in systematic review and meta-analysis and have led several international projects in this area including effectiveness of interventions to reduce indoor air pollution and/or improve health in homes using solid fuel in lower and middle income countries; indoor mold exposure and health; arsenic in drinking water and adverse pregnancy outcomes, etc.
Speaking in session "Data Utility & Action for Air Quality Management"
Ms. Garima Raheja
PhD Candidate, Columbia University
Garima Raheja is a PhD candidate at the Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory at Columbia University, studying atmospheric impacts of urban air pollution and its disproportionate impacts on public health. Having grown up between New Delhi, India, and the San Francisco Bay Area, Garima is passionate about environmental justice through climate action in the service of those most severely impacted.
Speaking in session "Making Sense of Sensor Data"
Dr. Simon Sambou
Regional Technical Advisor for Air Quality West Africa, C40 Cities
Simon Sambou serves as C40’s City Adviser for Dakar. In this role, he is responsible for providing technical assistance in updating the city’s climate action plan to deliver mitigation and adaptation outcomes and inclusive low-carbon development in line to the Paris Agreement.
Simon has previously worked as a lecturer at the Institute of Environmental Sciences (ISE) and Climate Action Facilitator at the Group of Action and Initiative for an Alternative Development (GAIA). He was responsible for carbon assessment and monitoring at the Project for Sustainable and participatory management of traditional alternative energies (PROGEDE 2). Simon has also worked with the Catholic Relief Services (CRS) as a Program Officer coordinating the USAID’s Learning Agenda Project “Climate Information Services Research Initiative (CISRI)” in Senegal where he worked closely with local municipalities and as Climate Change Technical Advisor for the development of Green Climate Fund program. He holds a Masters degree in Geography, a MSc degree and PhD in Environmental Sciences from the Institute of Environmental Sciences of Cheikh Anta Diop University of Dakar (UCAD).
Speaking in session "Data Utility & Action for Air Quality Management"
Mr. Seán Schmitz
Research Associate, Research Institute for Sustainability, Helmholtz Centre Potsdam
Officially, Seán Schmitz joined the ClimPol (Climate Change and Air Pollution) team as a research associate, in 2018. Prior to this, he worked with ClimPol from early 2017 as an intern, documenting science-policy engagement case studies for use in a science-policy training workshop for early-career scientists, and later returned to complete his Master's thesis on perceptions of air quality in Potsdam. Now that his thesis is done, he intends to continue working in the fields of air quality, climate change, and mobility with ClimPol, while furthering the collaboration between RIFS and various policy partners.
Seán has earned a Bachelor's degree in Environmental Science from McGill University, Montreal, Canada and received a Master's degree in Global Change: Ecosystem Science and Policy jointly awarded by the University College of Dublin, Ireland, and Justus-Liebig Universität, Gießen. He also has extensive work experience as a research assistant in plant science at McGill's Macdonald Campus, as a research intern at the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute's Punta Galeta research station in Colón, Panamá, and as a volunteer at Lo Tuyo organic farm in Las Lajas, Panamá.
Speaking in session "Policy Management"
Dr. Kayla Schulte
Postdoctoral Research Associate, Imperial College
Dr. Kayla Schulte is a Postdoctoral Research Associate in the Environmental Research Group with a background in environmental social theory, participatory research, and social data science. Her research broadly explores how knowledge about local air quality is co-produced in society.
Kayla's research draws on sociological, human geography, and Science, Technology and Society (STS) theory to explore engagement with emerging mobile app, sensors and other digitally enabled sources of real-time air quality information. Her research interests include: who uses real-time air quality information systems, what motivates this use, whether exposures to air pollution are effectively reduced, and which portions of a population are most likely to experience such benefits. Methodologically she specialises in participatory approaches to research, and how to blend quantitative and quantitative data to support more equitable air quality governance.
Kayla is PI for a Defra-funded air quality project in Barking and Dagenham. She also supports the Community Programme dimension of the Breathe London project.
Speaking in session "Utilizing Various Communication strategy to increase Public Engagement on Air Pollution"
Mr. Maxwell Seyram Sunu
Ghana EPA
Poster Presenter
Mr. Menassah Shitta
Research Officer, National Centre for Energy Efficiency and Conservation
Poster Presenter
Ms. Aishah Shittu
Post Graduate Researcher, Institute of Climate and Atmospheric Science (ICAS)
School of Earth and Environment | University of Leeds
Poster Presenter
Dr. Bertrand Tchanche-Fankam
Assistant Professor, Alioune Diop University
Dr. Bertrand Tchanche is currently working as Assistant Professor at the Alioune Diop University in Senegal, where he teaches Classical and Quantum Physics. His research is in the field of Energy and environmental engineering. Prior to joining the Alioune Diop University, he worked at ESIEE-Amiens and Université de Lorraine in France. He carried out his Ph.D. studies at the Agricultural University of Athens, Greece and holds a BSc and MSc in Physics (University of Yaoundé 1, Cameroon) and, a MEng in Energetics (2iE Foundation, Burkina Faso). He is one of the founding members of the African Society for Air Quality (ASAQ). He is currently leading two important projects on air quality (LCS-WACA project funded by the CAMS-Net, and IoT4AQ project funded by the International Astronomical Society (IAU)).
Dr. Sreekanth Vakacherla
Scientist, Environmental Defense Fund
Poster Presenter
Mr. Fidel Wabinyai
Data Scientist, AirQo
Poster Presenter and speaking in session "Community-based participation in using LCS"
Mr. Cosmos Wemegah
University of Natural Resources, Earth Observation Research and Innovation Centre
I am currently an assistant research fellow with the Earth Observation Research and Innovation Centre (EORIC) which is the research arm of the University of Energy and Natural Resources in Sunyani. As the coordinator of the climate and weather forecast division at EORIC, I have the privilege to play a leading role in analyzing satellite products of different models and observatory measurements to provide daily weather and air quality forecasts. I am also a PhD. candidate in Meteorology and Climate Science from Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology and also holds an MPhil. from the same institution. My PhD. work focuses on understanding the contribution of urbanization to extreme temperature events (heat waves) in Ghanaian cities. My research interest is to explore the driving mechanisms in land-atmosphere interaction with a special focus on the impact of land use and urban dynamics on atmospheric processes influencing climate change, extreme weather, and air pollution using remote sensing and numerical simulations. My research goal is to develop research that will provide ecosystem-based solutions to support data-driven policies for climate change mitigation and adaptation while ensuring the achievement of sustainable development goals especially goals 3, 5, 11, 13, and 15.
Speaking in session "Data Collection, Analysis & Interpretation"
Dr. Dan Westervelt
Associate Research Professor, Columbia University
Dr. Daniel M. Westervelt is an Assistant Research Professor at Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory (LDEO). Dr. Westervelt is also an affiliate faculty member of the Columbia University Data Science Institute, an affiliated scientist with NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies, and an air pollution advisor to the US State Department. He is also a Columbia University Climate and Life Fellow. His current research spans from air quality and climate modeling to deployment and calibration of low cost sensors for air quality. Prior to his faculty position at Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory, he worked as an Associate Research Scientist at LDEO, and as a Science, Technology, and Environmental Policy (STEP) postdoctoral research associate at Princeton University. He completed his PhD degree in May 2013 in Civil and Environmental Engineering from Carnegie Mellon University.
Speaking in session "Data Collection, Analysis and Interpretation"
Kelvin Yeboah
Community Engagement Officer, Breathe Accra Project
My name is Yeboah Kelvin. I hold a Bachelor of Science degree in Biomedical Science from the University of Cape Coast. I am currently a research assistant in the Public Health Research Group at the University of Cape Coast and also doubles as the Community Engagement Officer on the Breathe Accra project. I am an aspiring Environmental Health scientist with an interest in exploring environmental and nutritional epidemiology in Africa, with a focus on air pollution control in rapidly growing cities and nutritional interventions to improve maternal and child health in those areas.
Speaking in session "Community-based participation in using LCS"