Meet The 2023 Judges and Advisors for the Responsible Computer Science Challenge in Kenya
Por Mozilla | 22 de diciembre de 2022
(KENYA | THURSDAY, DECEMBER 22, 2022) – Last month Mozilla announced applications for the first iteration of the Responsible Computer Science Challenge (RCSC) in Kenya. Kenyan innovation hubs and accredited institutions of higher education that blend ethics and computer science curricula were invited to apply.
Said Steve Azeka, RCSC Program Lead at Mozilla: “We are very excited to expand RCSC into a new region where we will support educators who are preparing a new wave of technologists to put ethics and people first in their work. We are aiming to fuel the larger internet health movement as more mindful technologists enter the field.”
We are proud to announce the six judges and two advisors who will work over the next two months to review the 40 applications submitted and select the 10 institutions who will become the first Kenyan RCSC cohort.
Meet the judges:
Dr. Bright Gameli Mawudor is Application Security Engineering Lead at MARA (Mobile Application Reverse engineering and Analysis) with focus on Securing Blockchain Application and infrastructure. He is also the founder of the Cyber Security collective Africahackon, first ever Live demonstration Cyber Security Conference in East, West and Central Africa. He acquired a PhD in IT Convergence and Application Engineering with concentration in Information Security from Pukyong National University, South Korea. Dr Bright is also an Advisory Board member of EC-Council Global – CTIA, Cybersafe Foundation and AfCAA Kenya.
Graham Ingokho is a chemical engineer by training and self taught software engineer. He works with the marketing team at Africastalking.com and is a mentor for the Google for Startups Accelerator Africa initiative - a three-month virtual accelerator program for high potential Seed to Series A tech startups based in Africa, as a way of paying forward. In another life, he may have been a chef.
Janet Leparteleg is passionate about technology and women empowerment. She received her MSc In Cyber Security at Lancaster University courtesy of the Chevening scholarship (2019-2020), a BIT degree from Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology and is a Certified Information Security Incident Handler (E-CIH). Her professional interests focus on cyber-security and Data Privacy. Janet has over 8 years of work experience in different tech roles both private and public sector in Kenya and is currently a Cyber Risk consultant at Deloitte-Kenya. Following her passion in women’s empowerment, she founded the community based organization "Butterfly Techies" based in Samburu-Kenya, that works with girls in high schools to encourage and support them to take up STEM related subjects and eventually careers.
Laud Ammah is a Data Scientist at NXT Boardroom, a next generation business club connecting board members for better business. Laud's career in tech began as a research assistant at Chair of Building Realization and Robotics before joining the Institute for Ethics in Artificial Intelligence (IEAI) all at the Technical University of Munich. At the IEAI, he co-founded the Responsible AI Network-Africa which aims to build a network of AI stakeholders working on the responsible development and use of AI in Africa. His research interest includes the social and cultural impact of emerging technologies in Africa. He also consults for TSV 1860 Munich on their cooperation with the Ghana Boxing Federation
Mariga Thoithi is a Public Policy, Innovation, Communications and Campaigns professional from Nairobi, Kenya. Mariga’s work over the past 10 years' has been across 8 countries and 4 regions in various positions across East, Southern and West Africa and North America. His experience has been both deep and wide at managerial and strategy positions with organizations working in global health technology and policy, industrialization policy, development cooperation, oil and gas governance, peace and conflict resolution; civic engagement and advocacy, LGBT media, human rights, social entrepreneurship, journalism and bioethics. Mariga’s currently consulting for Living Goods, which works with governments and partners to leverage smart mobile technology and innovation to cost-effectively deliver high-quality, impactful health services across East and North Africa.
Mbithe Nzomo is a Computer Science PhD candidate at the University of Cape Town, researching the integration of data-based (e.g. machine learning) and knowledge-based (e.g. ontologies) Artificial Intelligence techniques for sensor-based personal health monitoring. Prior to this, she graduated with Distinction from the University of Manchester, where she earned an MSc in Advanced Computer Science with a specialization in AI. Mbithe was born and raised in Nairobi, Kenya. She spent the first few years of her career working as a software engineer, and also had a brief stint in technology consulting. She enjoys speaking, presenting, and writing about technology, as well as mentorship and outreach in the tech field.
George Murage is a partnerships and business development professional with over 10 years of hands-on knowledge and experience in designing, creating, and deploying solutions for a wide range of clients in the enterprise business ecosystem, digital media, public relations and communications, and information technology. He is currently working in an enterprise support and development role with some of Africa’s most exciting innovators to help them build and scale their businesses across the continent. He is passionate about technology, and evangelizing tech as a force for good. He regularly participates in community-building projects locally and globally and enjoys curating content, sharing knowledge and learning new things in the digital and tech space.
Dr. Patrick Kanyi Wamuyu is an Associate Professor of Information Technology at United States International University-Africa, Nairobi, Kenya. Dr. Wamuyu earned his Ph.D. in Information Systems and Technology from the University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, South Africa. He completed his postdoc research at the Freie Universität, Berlin, Germany and the Indian Institute of Information Technology, Allahabad, India. His research focuses on a broad range of topics related to Information and Communication Technologies for Development (ICT4D), Social Media Use and Consumption, E-business Infrastructures, ICT Innovations and Entrepreneurship, Wireless Sensor Networks and Databases. His academic publications include books, book chapters, peer reviewed journal articles, and refereed conference proceedings. He has over twenty-five years of experience in the computing and information technology industry that have taken him from software development, running his own Information Technology Enterprise to the academic world. He has advised many graduate (Masters and Ph.D.) and undergraduate students. When he is not in academia, Patrick enjoys hiking, traveling, and volleyball.