Biography

Prof Muthoni Masinde is a distinguished researcher in computer science, holding a C2 rating from South Africa’s National Research Foundation (NRF). She serves as a Professor of Information Technology at the Central University of Technology, Free State, South Africa, where she also holds the position of Dean for the Faculty of Engineering, Built Environment, and Information Technology (FEBIT). Prof Masinde is the Founder and CEO of ITIKI—an acronym for Information Technology and Indigenous Knowledge with Intelligence. Her research has made significant socio-economic impacts, particularly in supporting small-scale farmers through the innovative application of indigenous and scientific weather information. ITIKI, a platform she developed, harnesses artificial neural networks, wireless sensor networks, and mobile phone applications to integrate these diverse sources of knowledge.

Prof Masinde has built a robust research career, with over 100 scientific publications and extensive postgraduate supervision to her name. Her applied research has garnered social innovation funding and recognition on both national and international stages, including being named the 2016 Distinguished Young Woman Scientist by South Africa’s Department of Science and Technology (DST) and securing USD 500,000 from USAID’s Securing Water for Food: A Grand Challenge for Development. She is a seasoned thesis examiner, scientific reviewer, and speaker, having delivered numerous talks, seminars, and keynote addresses at universities, research institutions, and conferences globally. Her work has also been featured on media platforms such as eNCA, CNN, Voice of America, and the BBC World Service, and she has presented a TED Talk.

In addition to her academic and research achievements, Prof Masinde brings over 25 years of experience in the ICT sector, having developed solutions for both private and public organisations. Recent notable projects include: (1) the development of an ICT Strategy and Needs Assessment for a multinational manufacturing firm, which led to the creation of the firm’s ICT Implementation Plan (both strategic and operational); (2) a USAID-funded project for assessing the needs of an electronic notification system for trans-border trade enquiry points across four East African Community (EAC) countries; and (3) a USAID-funded drought prediction system for Kenya, Mozambique, and South Africa.

Prof Masinde holds a BSc in Computer Science from the University of Nairobi, Kenya, an MSc from the Free University of Brussels, Belgium, and a PhD from the University of Cape Town, South Africa. She has also recently completed an MBA from the University of the Free State to enhance her business management skills for running ITIKI.