Community Talk XL October: From Research to Impact: Collaboration Stories Between Data Science Institute and the South
This Community Talk showcases the impact of collaboration between the Data Science Institute (DSI) of UHasselt and partners in the Global South. Alongside research highlights, the session will feature recently completed projects. Speakers – including promotors at DSI and in the South, as well as master’s and PhD students – will share what has been achieved, the impact created, and the personal and professional value gained.
The event is designed not only to highlight research outcomes from different perspectives, but also to strengthen connections among alumni, partners, and friends from the Data Science Institute, fostering dialogue and networking across borders.
Online (Zoom)
Solar Cookers 4 all
This collaboration between UHasselt and the University of Lubumbashi (UNILU, DR Congo) focuses on developing affordable homemade solar cookers for domestic use. Two Centres of Excellence, set-up at both universities, are educating a new generation of students to come up with innovative sustainable solutions.
C-BIRD
C-BIRD addresses the daily challenges caused by climate change. Rural communities in Kenya are facing food and economic instability. The project established a bioinformatics lab at Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology (JKUAT), where researchers are developing new poultry and crop cultivars. Working with the national Coffee Research Institute (+500,000 farmers), the project applies genomic data to breeding programmes, while also building local research capacity.
Master thesis in the South
Master students from the Master of Statistics at UHasselt get the opportunity to complete their thesis with a promotor in the South.
Speakers
Solar Cookers 4 All
Sylvain Balume - PhD student BOF BIL, UHasselt - UNILU
Aslihan Babayigit - FWO postdoctoral fellow UHasselt, IMO-IMOMEC
Abdulaziz Mwamdu, Felista Cosmas Kauki, Baraka Rashidi- Alumni Master of Statistics UHasselt
Emilie de Virgilio – Bachelor student Physics UHasselt
C-Bird
Dirk Valkenborg – Promotor, Professor Bioinformatics DSI UHasselt
Johnstone Neondo - Promotor, Research Fellow and Lecturer IBR and JKUAT
Master thesis in the South
Rashider Aloni - ICP Master of Statistics student UHasselt