Last Updated on Wednesday, January 17, 2024 by HEET Website Team

Personal Information

Full Name:                  Joan Jonathan Mnyambo

Gender:                       Female

Phone number:            +255 763630054

Email:                         joanjonathan@sua.ac.tz

Biography

Ms. Joan is a PhD researcher at the University of Plymouth in the United Kingdom and an assistant lecturer in the Department of Informatics and Information Technology at Sokoine University of Agriculture (SUA), Tanzania. She completed her Master’s Degree in Information Systems from Uppsala University, Sweden, in 2019. She received a BSc. in Informatics from the Sokoine University of Agriculture, Tanzania, in 2011. Ms. Joan received the award for Best Oral Presenter and Research Paper at the 8th Annual National Science, Technology, and Innovation Conference and Exhibitions 2023, which was held at the Julius Nyerere International Convention Centre in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, and organized by the Tanzania Commission for Science and Technology (COSTECH). She is recognized as an innovator of the SmartTB, an integrated digital patient-centric tool for promoting adherence to treatment among people living with TB in Tanzania, and won a third prize at competitive innovation week Tanzania 2023, Morogoro Edition. Ms. Joan was also awarded a prize by Sandvik Company, Stockholm, during the case event at Uppsala, Sweden, in 2019.

She is a member of Women in Tech and AI under the OCP Foundation, AI Movement, UNESCO, and the Swedish Institute Network for Future Global Leaders (SI NFGL). Her interest is to inspire secondary school girls to pursue science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) careers through exhibitions, workshops, trainings, and projects. Ms. Joan has served as a keynote speaker and panel presenter at the International Girls in ICT Day event. TCRA organized the event under the UNESCO program. Towards the success of women in STEM, she provided hygiene and sanitation awareness and solutions to the recurring problems facing girls at Mavuno Girls Secondary School in Karagwe district under the International Projects in Tanzania. Ms. Joan has participated in preparing the proposal for the ICT infrastructure renovation under the Higher Education for Economic Transformation (HEET) project at the Center for Information and Communication Technology at SUA and the curriculum for the Diploma in Information Technology at Sokoine University of Agriculture, Tanzania.

She has led or participated with the SUA team in a number of national and international research projects funded by the Government of Tanzania (e.g., (a) Prediction of Diagnostic Accuracy using Big Data Analytics and Visualizations from Trained African Giant Pouched Rats for Tuberculosis Detection at SUA APOPO; (b) Integrated Machine Learning Internet of Things (IoT) Adaptive Smart Cloud Farming System for Small Scale Farmers in Tanzania; (c) Digital Literacy and Misinformation among Smallholder Farmers in Tanzania; and (d) Morogoro Youth Empowerment through the Establishment of Social Innovation (YEESI) Lab for Problem-Centred Training in Machine Vision (www.yeesi.org). Ms. Joan has several publications in international peer-reviewed conferences and journals (Google Scholar, ORCID).

Academic Background

Educational background

  •  PhD Computing at University of Plymouth, School of Engineering, Computing, and Mathematics, United Kingdom
    • October 2023 – Ongoing
    • Research Title: AI-Driven Prediction and Monitoring of the Diagnosis and Treatment of Tuberculosis
  • in Information Systems at Uppsala University, Department of Informatics and Media, Sweden
    • August 2017 – June 2019
    • Thesis Title: Prediction of Factors Influencing Tuberculosis Detection

Rats Performance Using Data Mining Techniques

  • MSc. in Informatics at Sokoine University of Agriculture, Department of Informatics, Tanzania
    • October 2008 – July 2011
    • Thesis Title: Development of Health Information System in Morogoro Regional Hospital, Tanzania

 

Academic achievements and awards

  •  BEST Oral Presenter and Research Paper at the 8th Annual National Science, Technology, and Innovation Conference and Exhibitions (STICE) 2023, which was held at the Julius Nyerere International Convention Centre in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania and organized by Tanzania Commission for Science and Technology (COSTECH). The conference’s sub-theme was Innovation for Human Development
  • Women in Tech and AI program implemented by OCP Foundation and AI Movement and UNESCO
  • Innovator of the SmartTB (https://www.smarttb.co.tz), an integrated digital patient-centric tool for promoting adherence to treatment among people living with TB in Tanzania, and won a third prize at competitive innovation week Tanzania 2023, Morogoro Edition
  • Principal Investigator (PI) of the Sokoine University of Agriculture Research and Innovation Support (SUARIS) project titled Prediction of Diagnostic Accuracy using Big Data Analytics and Visualizations from Trained African Giant Pouched Rats for Tuberculosis Detection at SUA APOPO. The Sokoine University of Agriculture provided an award (fund) to implement the project from June 2022 to May 2023
  • BEST Student volunteer in providing hygiene and sanitation awareness and solution to the recurring problems facing girls at Mavuno Girls Secondary school in Karagwe district under the International Projects in Tanzania during the case night event held on 5th February 2019 at Uppsala, Sweden. Engineers Without Borders from Uppsala organized this event, and the Sandvik Company from Stockholm provided the award.
  • Recipient of the Swedish Institute Scholarship award to pursue a M.Sc. Information Systems at Uppsala University in Sweden. The Swedish government provided an award from August 2017 to June 2019.
  • BEST student of the year in an Organization Behavior course that involved students from eight countries. Most of the students were coming from developed countries. The Business Department at Uppsala University in Sweden provided a Gold Medal on 28th December 2018.

 

Extracurricular activities related to academics

  •  Research interests and activities

My research interests are Artificial Intelligence (AI), Machine Learning, Data Science, Data Mining, Big Data Analytics, Visualization, and Computer Vision for Prediction, Diagnosis, and Detection of Diseases, Digital Transformation, and ICT for Development (ICT4D) in Healthcare, Education, and Agriculture.

 

  • Research supervision

Supervision of final year’s projects for undergraduate students (more than 20 research projects) related with Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, Data Science, and ICT for Development (ICT4D) in Healthcare, Education and Agriculture

 

  • Leadership experience
    • Head, Training Services at the Centre for Information and Communication Technology, Sokoine University of Agriculture, Tanzania July 2019 – October 2020
    • Coordinator, Certificate in Information Technology and Diploma in Information Technology, Programs at the Centre for Information and Communication Technology, Sokoine University of Agriculture, Tanzania November 2020 – December 2021
    • Coordinator, Certificate in Information Technology and Diploma in Information Technology, Programs at the Department of Informatics and Information Technology, College of Natural and Applied Sciences, Sokoine University of Agriculture, Tanzania

January 2022 – July 2023

 

Skills or areas of expertise related to your field of study 

  • Professional Skills
  • Programming/Scripting Languages: (Proficient in) Python, C/C++, LabView, Java, MatLab, PHP, JavaScript, and R
  • Development Tools and Frameworks: Pytorch, TensorFlow, Keras, OpenCV, Django, Agile Software Development (XP and Scrum), RESTful APIs, Android Studio IDE, IoTCloud, Arduino IoT Cloud, Linux/Ubuntu Systems, SensorCloud, ThingSpeak, InfoBright, Plotly
  • Advanced Skills

Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, Data Science, Machine Vision, High-Tech Health & Agriculture, Deep Learning, Big Data Analytics, Data Analysis, Cloud Computing, Communication Systems and Modeling, IoT Amazon Web Services, Data management and Visualization, Health Informatics, ICT4 Development, Mathematics, and Statistics

 

HEET Project Scholarship

Brief description of the HEET Project Scholarship received 

I was awarded a HEET Project Scholarship to pursue full-time PhD studies at the University of Plymouth, United Kingdom, from 2023-2024 (the academic year) to 2026-2027, majoring in artificial intelligence and machine learning. This scholarship covers other university fees, including research costs, airfare, stipends, outfits, and book and stationery allowances.

 

How did the scholarship impact your academic journey?

The scholarship had a great and significant impact on my academic career by providing financial support to pursue PhD studies at the University of Plymouth (UoP). It also helped me learn and acquire competent skills in artificial intelligence and machine learning for innovative experimental approaches because of the growing and lively research environment at UoP. In addition, this scholarship opened up new opportunities for me to collaborate with different multidisciplinary researchers. Furthermore, it has strengthened my motivation to put in a lot of effort for better performance in all aspects of my career.

Did the scholarship help you achieve any academic or personal goals?

The scholarship provided important financial support to help me attain both my academic and personal goals. Academically, I have been able to acquire advanced skills and expand my knowledge in the fields of artificial intelligence and machine learning. This opportunity, on the other hand, has strengthened my abilities for problem-solving and decision-making. On personal goals, the scholarship was an instrumental tool to gain a sense of satisfaction from achieving goals in academia.

Did you participate in any HEET Project activities or events? If so, which ones?

Yes, I participated in preparing a curriculum for the Diploma and Certificate in Information Technology in the department of informatics and information technology at Sokoine University of Agriculture.

Plans for Future

My future career ambitions are to continue in this profession of academia by working hard to apply the new knowledge and skills gained from innovative research projects. I plan to establish myself as a national and global professional researcher and implement innovative projects that respond to indigenous Tanzanian and African needs using artificial intelligence and machine learning. Additionally, I expect to be working with some national and international research-based organizations to solve societal problems in the same field. Moreover, my interest is to actively collaborate with different national and international development agencies in implementing different research, training, and consulting services to enhance development.

 

How do you plan to use your education to impact your community or society at large?

I expect to use the brilliant knowledge and advanced skills acquired by being actively involved in teaching and contributing knowledge through research projects, consultancy, and training in the same field. The new knowledge and skills gained will help in formulating sustainable policies regarding the application of artificial intelligence and machine learning to different sectors of systems in Tanzania. Ultimately, foster the dissemination of knowledge by developing AI-based systems to solve various societal problems in Tanzania.

Giving Credit and Expressing Gratitude

I express my sincere gratitude to the SUA HEET Project and the Government of Tanzania for the financial support that helped me advance my career and achieve my goals. Without their invaluable support, this level of career development could not have been attained. Their contribution has been instrumental in advancing my understanding and contributing to the field of artificial intelligence and machine learning. I distinctively acknowledge the donor(s) for their noteworthy support.