phd by research at makerere university

• Give/Donate

• Dean's Message
• Core Functions
• Community Health and Behavioural Sciences
• Disease Control and Environmental Health
• Epidemiology and Biostatistics
• Health Policy Planning and Management
• Past Leadership
• Journey of MakSPH

Graduate Programmes

Undergraduate programmes, short courses.

• Student Scholarships
• PhD Students
• Students Associations Information
• Newsletters
• Publications
• News & Events
• Institutional Review Board (IRB)

Background on Academics at MakSPH

PhD in Public Health

Master of public health nutrition (mphn).

Malnutrition remains a major public health problem and a priority area for targeted health intervention in an ever changing world. Many strategies and interventions have been implemented with little or no success in reducing the unacceptably high rates of malnutrition and the attributable mortality…

Master of Biostatistics

Introduction The Master's programme is open to all individuals, Ugandan and Non-Ugandan with background training in a quantitative discipline, or background training in health-related discipline.  Initial enrolment will be fifteen students but the number will increase depending on the teaching…

Master of Environmental and Occupational Health (MEOH)

About the Master of Public Health (MPH) Programme The need for environmental and occupational health services is acute in low-income and newly industrialized countries (NICs) (NSOER, 2014). The discovery of oil and gas in Uganda is one of the newest development prospects, which is associated with…

Master of Public Health Disaster Management (MPHDM)

Disasters are common worldwide. Their etiologies include natural, human induced (technological) and a hybrid of factors. The Great Lakes region of Africa, including Uganda, are prone to both human induced disasters, such as conflicts and warfare leading to massive population displacements of both…

Master of Public Health Monitoring and Evaluation (MPHME)

Background With the increasing demand for governments and organisations to demonstrate results towards achievement of development goals, there has been a surge in the demand for skilled Monitoring & Evaluation (M&E) practitioners. This demand has occurred in the face of limited…

Bachelor of Environmental Health Sciences (BEHS)

About this Program The Makerere University School of Public Health (MakSPH) formerly the Makerere University Institute of Public Health (MUIPH) has reviewed and updated the curriculum for the Bachelor of Environmental Health Science (BEHS) degree programme. The BEHS curriculum being reviewed has…

Advanced Qualitative Research Methods:

The aim of this course is to improve the quality of health research by equipping researchers with advanced qualitative research theories and skills. It is suitable for various practitioners and researchers including postgraduates of various disciplines and PhD Students. The two weeks course is in…

Certificate in Health Informatics

Introduction Information and communication technologies (ICTs) have opened up new opportunities for health care provision in Africa. Health Informatics is an interdisciplinary field that demands for knowledgeable and experienced health care personnel in the field of health, social sciences and…

Certificate in Health Systems Research

The Department of Health Policy Planning and Management HPPM and the Centre for Health Policy and Systems Development (CHPSD) in the School of Public Health under the College of Health Sciences at Makerere University is offering a short course on health system research. Purpose: The purpose of…

Certificate Short Course in Applied Impact Evaluation (AIE)

The Impact Evaluation for Evidence Based Decisions (IEED) at Makerere University School of Public Health (MakSPH), is cordially inviting suitable candidates for a certificate course in Applied Impact Evaluation (AIE). The course is designed for professionals interested in learning modern Impact…

Cost Effectiveness Analysis (5 Days)

About this Course This course introduces students to analytic methods of economic evaluation applied in health care to address the economic question of how to allocate limited health care resources to maximize health benefits. This course will teach students methods for performing a cost-…

Who's online

Are you a PhD fellow at Makerere University?

We are bringing together PhD fellows to actively provide each other with mutual academic support, producing timely high quality research through networking, peer reviewing, sharing funding opportunities and timely study completion.

Hellen Apio

Oscar Moses Nkengi

Nyasha Chikowero

Grace Nabakooza

Napoleon Heri Bahati…

Nestor Basemera

Emmanuel Amponsah Ad…

Simon Peter Ojolo

Jump to navigation

• Principal's Office
• Lang. Lit. & Communication
• Liberal & Performing Arts
• Social Sciences

Call for Applications for PhD by Research programme in Humanities and Social Sciences

The College of Humanities and Social Sciences CHUSS ) Makerere University has received financial support from The Andrew W Mellon Foundation to strengthen doctoral training in order to mentor the next generation of Humanities and Social Sciences researchers and scholars at Makerere University . It is expected that this intervention will establish a critical mass of home grown and supervised PhDs using a cohort based doctoral training model. Funding is available for a three-year-fulltime programme of study for qualifying candidates to pursue studies leading to the award of a PhD in disciplines under the College of Humanities and Social Sciences Makerere University .

The College now invites eligible applicants,whose proposed projects show an explicit Inter-disciplinary focus in the Humanities and Social Sciences and adhere to the eligibility criteria below, to apply for seven (7) 2018 PhD fellowships.

Eligibility

The eligible candidates should:

• Have practical research experience from working in Humanities and Social Sciences research projects at a University or Research Institute and a strong foundation in scientific writing and research methods.
• Be a full time or part time member of staff in the College of Humanities and Social Sciences Makerere University (please attach your appointment letter as proof of your employment status at Makerere University ). The specific schools of CHUSS whose staff are eligible are Social Sciences ; Women and Gender Studies; Liberal and Performing Arts; Languages, Literature and Communication and the School of Psychology .
• Be a holder of Masters degree in Humanities and Social Sciences from a recognised university . The Master’s degree must have been completed not less than ten years at the time of application.
• Be a holder of an undergraduate degree in Humanities and Social Sciences from a recognised university with a Second Upper Class or above.
• Satisfy all the Makerere University Graduate admissions regulations and criteria.
• Provide two letters from two academic referees who are intimately familiar with his/her work recommending his/her application. It is important that the referees give the recommendation letter to the applicant to scan and send it with his or her application.
• Preference will be given to applicants with a maximum age of 40 years (men) or 45 years (women) before April 2018.
• Qualified female candidates are especially encouraged to apply.

It is a fully-funded three-year programme of study with generous financial support from the Andrew W Mellow Foundation. The scholarship will cover the following costs: living expenses, accommodation, medical insurance, a laptop computer, critical books, data processing / analysis, photocopying and fieldwork related costs. The maximum value of the scholarship for the 2018 Fellows is approximately UGX 45,290,000 in the first year, UGX 45,290,000 in the second year and UGX 41,790,000 in the third year. In the second year of study, the Fellow and his or her supervisors will apply for Fieldwork funding to enable them conduct research and collect data in the field.

This full-time three-year doctoral training programme by research, which starts in April 2018 and ends in April 2021. The key deliverables for successful candidates are a full proposal within 6 months, presentation of two (2) seminars a year from their work in progress, 1 public dissemination of their work at a local or international forum, proof of accepted 2 peer-reviewed journal articles or book chapters and a PhD dissertation within 36 months. Fellows are advised to have a ready draft of their dissertation by the 20 th month of the programme.

How to apply

The complete application form and supporting documents must be submitted by Friday, 16 th February 2018 to the following email addresses:

[email protected] with copy to [email protected]

For Further Information

In case of any questions regarding the programme or your application, kindly contact the following:

1. Dr Edgar Nabutanyi (Programme Coordinator)

Tel: +256772971204

Email: [email protected] / [email protected]

2. Dr Levis Mugumya (Programme Administrator)

Tel: +256772475807/+256702475807

Email: [email protected] / [email protected]

3. Mr Nelson Kakande

Tel: +256772454725/+256705731120

Email: [email protected]

We look forward to receiving your application.

• Department Overview
• Department Newsletter
• Contact Department
• Administrative Staff
• Research Areas
• Research Groups & Centers
• Flagship Research Projects
• General Information
• Prospective Undergraduates
• Prospective Graduates
• Visting CS Department
• Current Curriculum(V2021)
• Old Curriculum(V2017)
• News &Events
• New Scholarships
• DeepMind Scholarships
• UW<>Mak Fellowships
• Graduation List
• Admission List
• Results Feedback
• PhD Curriculum
• PhD in Computer Science
• Bachelor of Computer Science
• Master of Computer Science
• PGD in Computer Science

Introduction

The PhD in computer Science program aims at building on the expertise in the masters program to lay ground for the production of world class researchers and innovators in the areas Computer Security as well as Computer Vision & Image processing.

The objectives of the PhD (Computer Science) by Coursework and Research program are to: -

• Build human resource capacity in the area of computer science in both the public and private sectors, especially in universities;
• Develop research capacity in the areas of computer science so as to improve research and innovations output in the country and region
• Address the increasing demand for PhD holders in the areas of computer science
• Provide masters holders with potential for PhD with opportunities to develop skills in formulating, conducting and presenting their own scholarly research through the production of a research-based dissertations and publications.
• Foster initiative and potential for independent self-study that will develop the students’ motivation and ability to continue updating their knowledge and skills after completion of the course of study in relation to scholarship and research.
• Enable the students to be able to demonstrate a critical awareness and reflection on research-based information as a basis for problem solving and practice in professional contexts.
• Enable students to be able to demonstrate ability to interpret and report research findings in areas relevant to their field of study.
• Equip students with research and publication skills to enable them publish research from high quality dissertations in reputable journals and/ or presentation of their research findings at academic conferences

Collaboration Partners

• University of Groningen
• Raudbound University Nijmegen
• Eindhoven University of Technology
• University of Bergen
• London South Bank University

Computing Equipment

The Faculty of Computing and IT has put in place specialized research laboratories i.e. Multimedia Laboratory, Geographical Information Systems Laboratory, Mobile Computing Laboratory, Networking and Systems Laboratory, Software Incubation Laboratory, Computer Engineering Laboratory and E-learning Laboratory and plans are under way to establish more laboratories.

The equipments and software in these specialised laboratories is availed to the PhD students and their supervisors.

Every PhD student at the department is given a laptop and personal computer for the whole duration of the program. Each member of academic staff has a laptop and personal computer in the office.

Research in the Department of Computer Science

Being rather young, the Department of Computer Science does not have a long research history. In its early years, the department lacked staff with advanced degrees to create a critical mass to do substantial research. This was addressed by attracting staff with PhDs as well as training the existing staff to PhD level. Currently, the department has 4 PhD holders while 8 members of staff are undertaking doctoral studies. The research activities in the department are therefore on the raise. The department is currently focusing its research efforts into selected priority areas. These are:

• Computer Security
• Computer Vision & Image Processing
• Study and Optimization of Operational Systems
• Theoretical Foundations of Computing

The department therefore aims at being a center of research excellence in these priority areas. A big portion of its teaching and research at Masters and Doctoral focuses on these areas so as to increase the capacity with in the department as well as the impact in industry.

The Program

Target Group

The program targets holders of a Masters in Computer Science and related fields. Holders of other masters degrees may be considered if there is substantial evidence that they have, by virtue of their work or research, acquired sufficient advanced knowledge in Computer Science.

The tuition of the program shall be 3,875,000 Uganda Shillings per year for Ugandan students and 3,500 United States Dollars per year for International students.

Program Duration

The program duration is four academic years 8 semesters).. One academic year shall be for coursework and research proposal writing and three years shall be for research and thesis writing.

Admission Requirements

To qualify for admission on the program, the candidate should have

• A good Masters degree in Computer Science or a closely related field
• Any Masters degree with evidence of acquisition of sufficient advanced knowledge in computer science by virtue of research or work

Weighting and Semester Load

The weighting unit is a Credit Unit (CU). The credit unit is a contact hour per week per semester. A contact hour is equal to (i) one lecture hour (LH) (ii) two practical hours (PH) (iii) two tutorial hours (TH). The semester load is between 9 and 15 credit units. The minimum graduation load is 18 credit units done in the first year of the program

Core and Elective Courses

A major is the subject/ field/ program of specialization. A core course is compulsory course for the major and an elective course is an optional course for the major.

Assessment will be in form of writing technical reports, reviewing literature, critiquing papers or any other approach a student can use to demonstrate in-depth understanding and synthesis of academic matter. The approach used will depend on the course unit being studied.

Graduation Requirements

To qualify for the award of the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Computer Science, a candidate is required to obtain a minimum of 18 credit units for courses passed including all the compulsory courses and the PhD Dissertation within a period stipulated by Makerere University Senate/ Council Let LH, CH, and CU stand for Lecture Hour, Contact Hour, and Credit Unit respectively.

Grading, Pass mark and progression

Grading will be done on the final score of each course unit using the ranges below

A student with a grade point greater or equal to 3 (Letter grade C) in a certain course is considered to have passed the course unit.

The following additional letters will be used, where appropriate: -

W - Withdraw from Course;

I - Incomplete;

F - Failure.

Minimum Pass Mark

A minimum pass grade for each course shall be 3.0 grade points.

Calculation of Cumulative Grade Point Average (CGPA)

The CGPA is calculated as follows:

Where GP i is the Grade Point score of a particular course unit i; CU i is the number of Credit Units of course unit i; and n is the number of course units done so far.

Normal Progress

A student is considered to be under normal progression if he/she has a grade point of at least 3 in each of the courses that make his/her full semester load.

Probationary

A student is under probational progress if he/she has at least a course unit in his/her full semester load where the grade point is less than 3

PhD Dissertation

• A candidate shall be allowed to formally start on the dissertation after completion of the coursework part.
• A candidate shall submit a dissertation proposal to the Faculty of Computing and Information Technology Higher Degrees Committee during the first semester of the first academic year.
• The candidate shall execute the dissertation after acceptance of the dissertation proposal.
• The candidate shall be required to submit reports of progress to the Faculty Higher degrees committee every 6 months
• The candidate shall, in the process of PhD research, publish at least three peer reviewed articles one of which must be in a specialised journal/conference
• The candidate shall submit a dissertation report before the end of the fourth year (8th semester).

To pass the Dissertation, the candidate shall satisfy the Internal Examiner, External Examiner, and Viva Voce Committee independently.

Discontinuation from the Program

A student shall be discontinued from the program if

• He/she fails to get a grade point of at least 3.0 from any course unit for three sittings
• By the end of the third semester, he/she does not have an approved research proposal
• Without a credible reason, he/she fails to submit the 6 monthly reports two consecutive times
• The candidate shows no substantial progress for two academic years
• Overstays on the program for more than two years
• Fails to pass on the third submission of the dissertation

Detailed Courses

Pse 9102: science of programming (3cu).

(a) Course Description

This course introduces foundational concepts and techniques of programming languages. We use typed λ-calculi and operational semantics as models of programming language concepts. These models are applicable to the design, analysis, and implementation of programming languages. We demonstrate the utility of a mathematical approach to programming languages in answering questions about program correctness, the pro’s and con’s of various languages, compiler correctness, and other practical issues. We focus on two of the most successful styles of semantic description: denotational and operational. We deal with small “core” languages, each chosen to illustrate a specific paradigm. We use semantics to prove properties of a language, to analyze programs, to design correct programs, to prove correctness of compiler optimizations, and to prove general laws of program equivalence.

The objective is to:

• To study formal techniques for describing computation and compilation.
• Provide a more general understanding of programming languages, specification, logic, mathematics, and proof theory.
• Apply formal reasoning to nondeterministic programs and to concurrent programs, and provide an introduction to reasoning about distributed systems (temporal logic).

(c) Learning outcomes

(d) Teaching and learning pattern

Classes are held as a group discussion. Reading material which includes journal papers is distributed a week in advance, and students take it in turns to research and present new topics. The lecturer addresses questions to the students to encourage them to think about and understand the material. The lecturer should become aware of the students' proposed topics of research so that the discussion explores how the principles in the course apply to these topics. The students make presentations of their review paper for critique from both the students and the lecturer.

(e) Indicative content

• Inductive definitions.
• Static and dynamic semantics.
• Type safety.
• Function, product, and sum types.
• Universal types and polymorphism.
• Existential types and data abstraction.
• Recursive types.
• Object types.
• Sub typing.
• Equational reasoning.
• Type inference and unification
• denotational and operational, referential transparency, criteria for choosing models
• Sequential imperative programs: state transformations, partial and total correctness, traces and runtime
• Machine language: jumps and continuations, compiling sequential pro-grams, correctness of compiler optimizations
• Parallel programming: data ow networks, shared-memory parallelism, communicating processes, safety and liveness, fair execution
• Functional programs: types and polymorphism, call-by-value, direct-and continuation-style semantics

(f) Assessment

Progressive assessment will be based on the quality of presentations in class by each student. The final assessment will be based on a scientific review paper.

(g) Reading List

• John C. Reynolds. Theories of Programming Languages. Cambridge University Press, 1999.
• Glynn Winskel. The Formal Semantics of Programming Languages. MIT Press, 1993.
• John C. Mitchell. Foundations for Programming Languages. MIT Press, 1996.
• Martin Abadi and Luca Cardelli. A Theory of Objects. Springer-Verlag, 1996.
• Jean-Yves Girard. Proofs and Types. Cambridge University Press, 1989.

PCS 9101: Philosophy of Computing (3CU)

(a) Description

This course explorer the philosophical foundations of the computing field. It explores the computational understanding of the major parameters that make up and support the computing field. It explores their foundations and philosophical underpinnings.

(b)Aims and Objectives

The aims of the course are:

• To give students an avenue of exploring the philosophical foundations of computing as an academic field
• To give students the historical foundation of computational thinking and interpretation
• To expose students to the philosophical thinkings of the different areas of computing

By the end of the course, the students should be able to:

• Explain the philosophical foundations of computing
• Explain the foundations of theoretical thinking and interpretations
• Explain the philosophical thinkings of the different fields of computing

Teaching will be by lectures, group work, group discussions and presentations

• Mind and Artificial Intelligence (AI): The philosophy of artificial intelligence and its critique, computationalism, connectionism and the philosophy of mind
• Real and virtual worlds: Ontology, virtual reality, the physics of information, physics as a traditional model of the ideal science of the philosophy of science, cybernetics and artificial life
• Language and knowledge: Information and content, knowledge, the philosophy of computer languages, hypertext.
• Logic and probability: probability in artificial intelligence, game theory – Nash equilibrium

Assessment will be by take-home assignments and presentations. Students will be given tasks to read and write about then present in class. The lecturer will award marks for the final a final scientific review paper.

• Floridi, Luciano (1999) Philosophy and Computing: An Introduction. Routledge: London / New York.
• Bynum, Terrel Ward; Moor, James H. (2000) The Digital Phoenix: How Computers are Changing Philosophy. Blackwell Publishers: Oxford, UK.
• Colburn, Timothy R. (2000) Philosophy and Computer Science. M.E. Sharpe: Armonk, NY, USA

PIS 9101: Presentations, Scientific Writing and Research Ethics (3CU)

Most PhD students struggle with scientific writing and presentations in English, and normally much time in a PhD study is spent revising papers and preparing for conference talks. Given the amount of time that PhD students spend writing and preparing to present, students should invest in a systematic study of scientific writing and presentations. The course deals with the publication process from the perspectives of the author of a scientific paper and the editor of a scientific journal. It is intended for PhD students in the fields of computing and Information technology, engineering and natural sciences.

(b) Aims and Objectives

The aim is to give the participants the following

• awareness of the importance of scientific writing,
• motivation to write scientific papers, and
• Prerequisites for publishing in first-class scientific journals.

At the end of this course, students will be able to:

• Make a quality conference presentation
• Write a quality journal article
• Appreciate ethics-related issues when writing a scholarly/scientific paper.
• Understand the prerequisites for choosing the market for publishing

Classes are held as a group discussion. Reading material which includes books and journal papers on scientific writing and ethics are distributed a week in advance, and students take it in turns to research and present. The students are also given reading material on how to make excellent presentations. The lecturer addresses questions to the students to encourage them to think about and understand the material. The classes will also include viewing of recorded seminar presentations by leading academics in the field.

• Science and writing. Reports and scientific publications. The IMRAD format. Scientific journals. Why, what, when, with whom and where publish?
• Structure of a scientific paper. The different parts of a scientific paper. Language and style. The publication process. Writing a paper. Dealing with editors, reviewers and publishers.
• Critical review of scientific papers by groups of participants.
• General principles of expository writing, pre-writing and planning. Typical formats, structure and language for scientific writing, emphasis on scientific articles as published in (primary) international scientific journals. English grammar essential to scientific papers. Designing tables, figures and graphs for scientific papers. Good style for readability. The refereeing and publishing process, what referees are looking for, how to deal with editors. Paragraphing, linking paragraphs to make the logic clear. Writing informative abstracts and crafting clear titles.
• Ethics: Honesty and credibility in scientific writing.
• How to write and publish a scientific paper, Robert A. Day and Barbara Gastel, ISBN:0-313-33027- 1, 6TH Edition, 2006
• Research ethics, edited by Anna Smith IItis, 1st Edition, 2006.
• The student’s guide to research ethics, Oliver, 2003.

PIT 9201 Advanced Research Methods (3CU)

(a) Aims and Objectives

the objectives of this course are to provide:

• Philosophical underpinnings of research in computing and IT
• Practical aspects on doing research

(b) Learning outcomes

At the end of the course the students will be able to apply computing and IT research methods in their research

(c) Course Content:

CThe first part of the course is devoted to the philosophical underpinnings of research, which crucially influence choice of research methods and interpretations of data. The course then moves on to the more practical aspects of 'doing research' - looking at developing a research strategy as well as ways of collecting data, analysing data and communicating research findings. This course will also give guidance to students on how to identify a research problem. Students will be presented with various research paradigms and models of methodology and assisted with designing an appropriate method for their research. Students will be trained in the analysis and presentation of results, exposition of processes and methods used and conclusions drawn. Key philosophical and epistemological bases for research are explored, and alternative methodologies are examined in relation to varied theoretical approaches. Selected sets of methods and techniques are critically appraised, while the range and scope of techniques with which students are familiar is extended. The structure of the course aims to achieve a balance between theory and practice. Considerable emphasis is therefore placed upon the logistics of setting-up, doing and disseminating research. The course not only introduces a range of research ideas and skills central to sound socio-environmental enquiry in general, but also acts as a critical and practical research forum where discussion and preparation for the PhD dissertation takes place.

(d) Teaching and Learning pattern:

Classes are held as a group discussion. Reading material which includes journal papers is distributed a week in advance, and students take it in turns to research and present new topics. The lecturer addresses questions to the students to encourage them to think about and understand the material. Each student undertakes a review of the different research methodologies and makes a presentation before the class. The students will identify researchable problems from which they will apply the concepts taught in class with an aim of producing research proposals by the end of the semester. The students will be required to build on their proposals on a weekly basis in line with the new concepts that will be taught. The students will make presentations of their draft proposal for critique and feedback from both the students and the lecturer.

(e) Assessment Method

(f) References

• Qualitative research and evaluation methods; By Michael Quinn Patton; Edition: 3, illustrated; Published by SAGE, 2002; ISBN 0761919716, 9780761919711; 598 pages.
• Research Design & Statistical Analysis; Third Edition; By Jerome L. Myers, Arnold D. Well, Arnold D. Well, Robert F. Lorch, Jerome L. Myers; Pages: 736; Published by: Routledge; Publication Date: 1st November 2002; ISBN: 978-0-8058-4037-7
• Are Your Lights On? How to Figure out what the Problem Really Is, by Donald C Gause and Gerald M Weinberg, Dorset House, USA, 1990. A brilliant book about getting ready to make decisions.
• Bordens, K.S. & Abbott, B.B. (1988) Research design and methods: A process approach. Mayfield.

PCS 9201: Advances in Digital Security (3CU)

This course aids students to explore in depth selected areas in digital security. It helps them get the general knowledge as well as getting an in-depth knowledge of the current state of practice. It also guides them in making in depth reading so as to be able to critique recent research works as well as identify some existing research gaps.

The aims of the course are to:

• Equip students with the general state and challenges in security of computer systems
• Assist students explore the current state of the art in selected aspects of digital security
• Assists students make deep analysis of the current literature in digital security and identify research gaps

By the end of the course, the students should be able to

• Comprehensively elaborate the typical security challenges in the digital world today.
• Explain ways of attack and techniques of defense on software, hardware and data.
• Have an in-depth understanding of the current research trends in some areas of digital security.
• Comprehend and critique state of the art research findings in digital security.

(d) Teaching and Learning Patterns

The lecturer will chose an area and subject matter to be focused on over a period of time and ask students to do the reading. The lecturer will provide the main reading materials (like journal papers, books, technical reports). The students will do the reading; write their findings (like critique, technical report, etc). The students will make the write up and presentations in class.

• Advances in software security
• Advances in hardware security
• Advances in cryptosystems

(f) Assessment Method

Assessment will be by evaluating the students write ups and presentations. For each write up and presentations, the lecturer will award marks depending on the extent to which the objectives of the assignment has been met. The lecturer will also award marks on the extent to which the student demonstrates his/her mastery of the subject matter during presentations and final write up of a scientific review paper.

(g) Reading lists

Reading materials will largely be got from the publications in journals and conferences of digital security. These include:

• International conference on privacy , security and trust
• Security Journal
• Journal of Computer Security
• International journal of Information Security
• International journal of applied cryptography

PCS 9202: Advances in Computer Vision &Image Processing(3CU)

This course gives students exposure to cutting edge research in the fields of image processing, computer vision, machine learning, pattern recognition and computational statistics. It examines common methodologies in these fields. It also examines current research trends in these fields

(b) Aims/Goals

By the end of the course, students should:

• Become familiar with major areas of research within the fields of image processing and pattern recognition.
• Become familiar with established methodologies and tools which are used in recent mainstream research in these fields.
• Narrow down a topic of interest which would be suitable for PhD research.
• Be able to critically evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of a research paper in image processing.
• Specific topics are to be selected based on the interests of students
• who would generally be expected to have some exposure to these fields
• (e.g. having studied the MSc. courses on Image Processing and Computer Vision, Pattern Recognition). These could include such areas as:Vision, Pattern Recognition). These could include such areas as:

By the end of the course, the student shall be able to:

• Identify the current trends in the specific areas of computer vision and image processing.
• Make a critical review of current literature in selected areas of computer vision and image processing.
• Identify realistic open research areas in the areas of computer vision and image processing.

The course will generally take the form of a reading group. Papers are selected in advance each week, and students take it in turn to lead a discussion through that paper, explaining the methodology used and identifying its strengths and weaknesses. The lecturer is on hand to Moderate the discussion, to provide explanations of difficult material (e.g. mathematical techniques which students are not familiar with) and to correct any misunderstandings which arise. The course will also make use of video lectures available online (e.g. from www.videolectures.net, which is particularly strong on machine learning material). Students should watch these videos of research presentations or tutorials in their own time, and then the class meets to discuss and compare notes.

(e) Indicative Content

• Feature extraction, scale/rotation invariant feature transforms
• Mathematical morphology
• Dynamical models
• Multi target tracking
• Bayesian modeling, graphical models
• Data mining
• Ensemble methods
• Structure learning
• Image segmentation

Students should identify at least one core paper, which is a high-impact recent publication that they think will be relevant to their PhD research. Assessment is based on presentations made during class and a short research paper with a critical literature review of their core papers and surrounding literature, and accompanying seminar presentation.

Papers for reading each week are to be selected according to specific interests, from recent papers in significant conferences and journal including the following:

• Transactions on Pattern Analysis and Machine Intelligence
• IEEE International Conference on Computer Vision and Pattern Recognition
• IEEE International Conference on Acoustics, Speech and Signal Processing
• International Conference on Machine Learning
• Machine Learning
• Advances in Neural Information Processing Systems

PCS 9203: Advanced Applied Queuing Systems (3CU)

TMost of the interesting questions in Computer Science in some way involve finding an optimal solution to some problem given a set of constraints. This course gives students exposure to cutting edge research in the fields of optimization, combinatorics, graph theory, resource allocation, scheduling and applications.

• Become familiar with major areas of research within the theory and application of optimization
• Identify the shortcomings of different optimization methods and where the research opportunities are in terms of extending/modifying existing systems or applying them to new types of data.
• Be able to critically evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of a research paper in optimization.

By the end of the course, the student should:

• Demonstrate sufficient knowledge on the application of queues in real life problems.
• Have knowledge on the approaches of solving queue based problems.
• Have knowledge on the current research trends in queuing systems.

Teaching and Learning will be by study groups. The Teacher will identify the papers and students will study, analyze and report on the papers. They will

• Network flow algorithms and their applications,
• Transportation problem and its variants
• Multi objective optimization
• Formulation of large optimization problems

Students will present and write technical reports in selected areas of the course. The depth and expectations shall be prescribed by the lecturer conducting the course. Such expectations can be identification of gaps, describing the state of the art/practice or critiquing a certain paper/set of paper. The student’s score in at least two presentations and technical reports will constitute the score.

Students will read papers from existing high quality journals/conferences in the broad area of optimization. These include but not limited to

• Journal of Optimization Theory and Applications.
• Queuing Systems: Theory and Applications.
• European Journal of Operations Research.

PSE 9201: Models of Software Systems (3CU)

Scientific foundations for software engineering depend on the use of precise, abstract models for characterizing and reasoning about properties of software systems. This course considers many of the standard models for representing sequential and concurrent systems, such as state machines, algebras, and traces. It shows how different logics can be used to specify properties of software systems, such as functional correctness, deadlock freedom, and internal consistency. Concepts such as composition mechanisms, abstraction relations, invariants, non-determinism, inductive definitions and denotational descriptions are recurrent themes throughout the course.

By the end of the course you should be able to

• understand the strengths and weaknesses of certain models and logics, including state machines, algebraic and trace models, and temporal logics.
• to select and describe abstract formal models for certain classes of systems. to reason formally about the elementary properties of modeled systems

At the end of the course students will be able to: describe and relate different models of software systems; select appropriate methodology to use in the final research work and dissertation.

• what is a model?
• Foundations Logic, Proof Techniques
• Sets, Relations, Functions, Proof Techniques
• State Machines ,Variations , FSP and LTSA , Reasoning about State
• Z Techniques
• Refinement & Abstraction
• Modeling Concurrency in FSP , Modeling Techniques, Reasoning about Concurrency,
• Model Checking Linear Temporal Logic, Promela/Spin

Assessment will be by take-home assignments leading to presentations and a scientific review paper. Students will be given tasks to read and write about then present in class. The lecturer will award marks for each write up of a scientific review paper.

• Concepts and Notations for Concurrent Programming," Andrews and Schneider. Computing Surveys, Vol. 15, No. 1, March 1983.
• Formal Methods: State of the Art and Future Directions", ACM Computing Surveys, Vol. 28, No. 4, December 1996, pp. 626-643. Available as CMU-CS-96-178.
• "Statecharts: a visual formalism for complex systems." D. Harel. Science of Computer Programming, 8:231-274, 1987.
• "FAA En Route Resectorization - A Formal Specification." V.J. Harvey, and P.R.H Place. Unpublished manuscript, September 1999.
• "Coloured Petri Nets: A High Level Language for System Design and Analysis." K. Jensen. In High-level Petri Nets: Theory and Application. K. Jensen and G. Rozenberg (eds.) Springer-Verlag, 1991.
• "Temporal Logic." Draft version of chapter from book in preparation. 1996.
• Concurrency: State Models and Java Programs. J. Magee and J. Kramer. Wiley, 1999.
• "Petri Nets." J. L. Peterson. ACM Computing Surveys, Sept 1977.
• Software Engineering Mathematics. J. Woodcock and M. Loomis, Addison-Wesley 1988.

Call for Applications: PhD Research Grants

• September 30, 2022

MAKRIF PhD Call for Research Proposals

Funding opportunity description:  Makerere University received special funding from the Government of the Republic of Uganda, to support high impact Research and Innovations that will accelerate national development. The Financial Year 2022/23 will be the fourth year of this fund’s availability. The fund illustrates the increasing importance that the Government attaches to Research and Innovation as a driver of socio-economic transformation. The objective of the fund is to increase the local generation of translatable research and scalable innovations that address key gaps required to drive Uganda’s development agenda. Over the last three Financial Years (2019/2020, 2020/21 and 2021/2022), government appropriated 79 Billion Uganda Shillings to support this Fund. Between the two years, MakRIF has funded a total of 775 projects across all sectors critical for development. In the next Financial Year (2022/23), Makerere University expects to receive about 30 Billion Uganda shillings (about US$ 8.1 million) under the Government Research and Innovation Fund (RIF). Of this, at least 3 Billion Shillings will fund PhD research ideas that generate knowledge that addresses national development priorities. The Makerere University Research and Innovation Grants Management Committee (GMC) therefore announces the  RIF Round 4, Track 2 (PhD Research Grants) . Available funds are obligated for the Financial Year 2022/2023, with an expectation of actionable results that speak to the National Research and Innovation Agenda. The GMC therefore invites applications from PhD students with original research ideas that demonstrate a clear link to key thematic areas of the National Research and Innovation Agenda. 

This is a closed call that is open to only PhD students. This funding call is specifically targeted to PhD students that are full time at Makerere University.

Grant amounts and estimated number of awards:  The GMC estimates to award the following number and amount of PhD Research Grants:

*Note: The numbers shown are only indicative. The MakRIF GMC reserves the right to adjust the numbers based on the quality of the proposals submitted.

Applicants should take into consideration the following:

• Given that the MakRIF funds are received on an annual basis, and are tied to a specific financial year, the current grant only commits to funding the awardee for a period of one year. This award therefore covers one financial year.
• However, the MakRIF GMC is cognizant of the fact that PhD research often spreads over more than one year in which case it requires multi-year funding. Because of this reality, PhD students who are funded under this round will be eligible for extension funding in the following financial year. Second year funding will not be automatic but will be conditional to the following: 1) Availability of funds, 2) Showing cause as to which additional areas of research will be covered in the second year of funding, 3) Successful execution and completion of all the objectives for Year 1 funding, evidenced by full submission of the required deliverables; 4) Full technical and financial accountability for all the funds given to the researcher during the current year of funding. Students would have to apply for the follow-on funding through the next year’s PhD Research Grant call.
• The GMC recognizes that the amounts indicated for this award may not be sufficient to cover all the necessary costs for a student’s project. In such cases, the award should be considered as a contribution and the students should mobilize additional funding to bridge the resource gaps.
• The number of awards indicated are only estimated and the GMC retains the discretion to determine the amount and number of awards based on the actual funding that MakRIF funders will make available and the number of quality proposals submitted. 

Scope and Technical Description of the Research and Innovation Grant

The GMC conducted a comprehensive stakeholder consultation to identify priority thematic areas of interest for national development. The GMC triangulated this information with that from the National Development Plan III, the Makerere University Strategic Plan and Research Agenda to develop an instructive MakRIF research agenda that responds to national development priorities. The  RIF Round 4, Track 2 (PhD Research Grants)  will therefore specifically target research and innovation projects that align with priority thematic issues in the MakRIF instructive Research Agenda under 14 thematic areas as follows:

SDGs targeted: 2,1,3

The overall aim of the Sector is to increase national income from agriculture as the backbone of the economy, ensure household food security and promote household nutrition from sustainable agricultural production, effective value chains and fair trade. The sector is seeking solutions that boost the transformative potential of agriculture for Uganda’s economy. Specifically, the grant is seeking ideas in the following sub-themes:

Priority sub-themes

• The sector seeks solutions to cost-effectively increase agricultural production of both regular food and cash crops (cereals, legumes, milk, bananas, coffee, cassava etc.), animal products (meat, dairy and poultry) and high value outputs (horticulture, aquaculture, high value crops). Solutions could include improved affordable technologies or approaches to production, plant and animal breeding for better disease, pest and drought resistance, affordable approaches to disease control, novel affordable animal feeds, novel approaches to agricultural water resource management and optimization during dry spells, affordable irrigation technologies, soil management and sustainable fertilisers, affordable mechanisation for modernisation of production. Solutions could also involve natural/herbal/organic approaches to pest/disease control
• Innovations in post-harvest handling and improvement of phytosanitary conditions of produce to reduce post-harvest losses but also ensure safety in the use of chemicals agricultural chemicals and drugs are needed as are approaches to reduce post-harvest losses/wastage (e.g. in the grain and poultry industries).
• Post production, the sector is seeking novel affordable approaches to local value addition to agricultural produce including novel affordable technologies for local produce processing and data driven approaches to value chain analysis.
• The sector needs solutions on Increasing the mobilisation, access and utilisation of agricultural finance
• The sector needs solutions on Increasing market access and competitiveness of agricultural products in domestic and international markets

SDGs targeted: 3,1,6,10

The solutions targeted in this sector mainly aim at achieving universal health coverage through sustainable health measures. A healthy population not only reduces the strain on household and national resources but is the driving force for economic development. The sector also acknowledges that many determinants of health are placed in other sectors, thereby necessitating a cross-sectoral approach. Evidence is needed on new measures to reduce the burden of preventable diseases, but also increase the quality of life for the population through health. Specifically, proposals are sought under the following sub-themes:

Priority sub themes

• The sector needs solutions on how to prioritise countrywide vaccination to mitigate the impact of COVID-19.
• There is a need for research on increasing the capacity to combat communicable and non-communicable diseases and reduce the pressure on our health systems.
• We need ideas and solutions to fast-track the development of a National Health Insurance Policy.
• There is a need for novel ideas on how to fast-track virus research and domestic production of human and animal vaccines in Low and Middle Income countries. New biotechnology products for early characterization, diagnosis and pre-emptive screening for deadly threats as well as just-in-time vaccine development capacity for new disease strains are necessary. Tools and approaches for better surveillance and improved public health response to emergencies are pertinent.
• Research is needed to develop scientifically accredited indigenous medicines since evidence shows that about 70-80% of Uganda’s population still rely on traditional medicines for their Primary Health Care.

SDGs targeted: 3,8,5,10

Education is the driving force for capacity development to develop the skills necessary to drive enterprise and innovation. The main expressed need of the sector is how to leverage the advantages of Uganda’s demographic dividend by providing education that imparts skills crucial for productivity in the 21 st Century and for the world of work. The priority subthemes for the sector are laid out as follows:

Priority Sub-themes

• Research and innovations are needed to generate solutions and recommendations on how to best restore education to normality and attain pre-COVID-19 levels of access to education.
• Research on ways to increase education participation of girls, refugees and other vulnerable populations is also needed, including keeping children in schools (especially the girl-child), incentivizing parent participation in supporting the welfare of children in schools. Research that elucidates approaches for increasing the utility of higher education in improving performance of the private sector and industry is much needed. Given that the education sector is at the cross-roads for influencing many other SDGs in other sectors, evidence is needed on better models for integration of sector needs into formal education processes.
• Research and Innovations on how to Improve the productivity of the labour force through strengthening skills development.

SDGs targeted: 6,3,12,13

The main aim of the sector is to increase access to safe water for domestic use and water for production, and to safeguard the environment through sustainable development approaches. This is in a context where inadequate coverage with safe-water sources and water stress from recurrent dry spells abound leads to a high burden of sanitation related diseases, but also recurrent agricultural losses due to insufficient water. There are major gender disparities in the consequences of access to safe water. The sector seeks solutions under the following sub-themes:

• Research and Innovations to ensure safe water supply systems in rural areas in order to increase the number of water point systems and promote appropriate sanitation and hygiene technologies.
• Research and innovations to promote commercial tree planting.
• Research and innovations addressing wetland encroachment and restoration of wetlands.

SDGs targeted: 8,10,5

The most pertinent challenge faced by the country regarding social development is youth unemployment partly driven by lack of job and lack of skills. Other challenges relate to a lack of community agency to drive self-reliance as well as socio-cultural disparities that drive marginalisation of some populations. Solutions are requested in the following subthemes:

• Research into ways to complete the implementation of the PDM as a delivery strategy for transitioning households out of the subsistence to income economy.
• Research that aims at strengthening the Supervision of SACCOs including those formed under the EMYOOGA program and Parish Development Model (PDM).
• There is a need for research that will equip and operationalize community mobilisation and empowerment (CME) institutions and structures for effective citizen mobilisation and dissemination of information to guide and shape the mind-sets/attitudes of the population.
• The sector requires evidence on how to stimulate jobs from a predominantly informal economy and also how to rapidly skill the youth to meet the needs of the job market (including soft and hard skills).
• The sector needs novel approaches to leveraging the creative arts as a force for development, a source of jobs for youth and as a source of increased contribution to the country’s revenue.
• Solutions are needed to reduce the marginalisation gap faced by vulnerable groups in society. Research is needed on how to overcome gender barriers to the advancement of society including gender-based violence, gender and ageing, and mainstreaming of gender into operational plans.
• Solutions are needed on how to strengthen the role of the state to take on a more active role in development; development of a National Employment Strategy, in a process that will be consultative and reflective of the country's characteristics.

SDGs targeted: 15,14,13,8,1,12

Uganda’s tourism sector is growing and the country is well positioned to be the leading tourist destination for the region. However, much more still needs to be done to unleash the county’s untapped tourism potential which is much higher than it is currently, and which can be a major source of revenue. Research and innovations are sought in the following priority sub-themes:

• Innovations to sustain upstream investment in ongoing product development and tourism-related infrastructure.
• Ideas and solutions to Increase access to tourism recovery financing.
• Research is needed on approaches to boost Uganda’s current tourism potential by increasing visibility and demand for the available tourism products. Solutions are also needed to reduce the cost of accessibility to Uganda’s tourism destinations, novel ways in which local communities can benefit from local tourism, and how to increase domestic tourism by Ugandans.
• Innovative ways to hire and deploy market destination representative firms in key markets.
• Solutions are also needed for better wild-life conservation to protect the country’s wild-life diversity. Evidence of better approaches to wild-life disease management and epizootics is also needed. The sector also needs new tools, technologies and approaches to eliminate illicit trade on wild-life products. Management of human-wildlife conflicts in districts hosting/surrounding conservation.

SDGs targeted: 1,8,11,12

Planning and finance are key cross-cutting sectors affecting development. Successful attainment of development goals need adequate monitoring of national plans as well as sustainable financing methods including a progressive tax base. Solutions are needed in the following sub-themes:

• The sector expressed the need for research and innovations that foster effective implementation of the National Development Plan and the Vision 2040. They need novel tools for collection of routine data from informal sectors of the economy including crowd-sourcing of economic data as well as mining and visualisation of big data to predict economic trends. Tools that support dynamic tracking of development initiatives and geo-location of development projects are welcome. There is also a need for new approaches for increasing the ability of communities to demand for better accountability from public programs.
• The sector needs research and ideas to implement the Government financing strategy including investing the short-term surplus cash, rolling out the use of Mobile money platform for Ugandans to invest in Government Securities, develop a system that will facilitate the Diaspora to invest in government securities and continue exploring new financing options enshrined in the Government of Uganda financing strategy
• Research is needed on how to operationalize the National Development Planning Research Agenda aimed at increasing the participation of non-actors in planning and budgeting; and citizen participation in Local Government Economic Development (LED).
• We need solutions on implementation of the Domestic Revenue Mobilisation Strategy aimed at raising the contribution of domestic revenues by 0.5 percentage points of Gross Domestic Product each Financial Year; and fast-track the activities of Extractive Industries.
• We need solutions to support the preparation of the pre-feasibility and feasibility and value chain studies in priority NDP III projects or areas.
• Novel solutions are needed to sustain the efforts geared towards analysing and negotiating for cheapest financing options available to reduce the cost of borrowing.
• Research is required on how to widen the automation of all systems in Government over the medium term. These include interfacing the Programme Budgeting System (PBS), Electronic Government Procurement (e-GP), Integrated Personnel and Payroll System (IPP), Fixed Asset module, Debt Management and Financial Analysis Program (DMFAS), Automated Information Management System (AIMs), Integrated Bank of Projects (IBP), Case management system among other systems.
• Strengthen Integrated Debt Management function through specialised training, Debt data Reconciliations /validation, Missions to bilateral creditors, and workshops and team building activities aimed at improving data integrity.
• Research is needed on innovative ways of enforcement of Standards for all Tier 4 Microfinance Institutions and Money Lenders under Uganda Microfinance Regulatory Authority.

SDGs targeted: 12,8,16,17

The mandate of the Public Service sector is to deliver effective and efficient social services to the people in a way that effectively reaches the last mile with a professional and competent civil service. The sector seeks solutions in the following sub-themes:

Priority Sub-themes:

• The sector expressed the need for better tools and approaches to ensuring an efficient civil service that is accountable to the people in implementing government programs. Furthermore, there is a need for approaches to digital transformation of public service delivery including strengthening of e-governance for better efficiency. Evidence is also needed on how to better account for public servants’ time, especially in peripheral service delivery workplaces and how to ensure better provision of value for money.
• There is need for research and evidence on better approaches to engagement of communities to mobilise them for development initiatives in ways that contribute to self-reliance and ways to optimise the use of digital identification to improve accountability and citizen services.
• Research is needed on how to develop and operationalize a digital/online content repository for information on Government of Uganda’s programs and projects.
• We need solutions on best practices for implementation of the Parish Development Model as a delivery strategy for transitioning households out of the subsistence to income economy.

SDGs targeted: 16

The defence and security sector has the mandate to ensure peace, security and the rule of law for citizens. A stable and secure country is not only crucial for economic investment but is key to a good quality of life for the citizens. This is coordinated through the armed forces, and other support systems for a secure country. The sector seeks research and innovation ideas in the following sub-thematic areas:

• The Sector has an interest in research and innovation outputs that improve the livelihoods of the men and women in uniform. Areas of interest to combatants’ livelihoods include: Strategies for addressing gender-based violence among combatants’ households, establish regional Command centres and toll-free lines to ease reporting of violent crimes including women murders and Kidnap cases thus strengthening people centred delivery security, law and order services, addressing post-traumatic stress disorder, improving food-security for combatant families and re-imagining the food rations for active combatants. The Sector is also interested in solutions that lead to better livelihoods for veterans of the armed forces including sustainable models for their economic empowerment.
• With the increase in conflict in our border countries, the sector needs solutions to enhance security and peace through coordination with other actors at national, regional and international levels.
• We need solutions to strengthen the promotion of downward accountability through public empowerment for anti-corruption.
• Reinforce investigation and prosecution of corruption cases before courts of law; Combat money laundering and recover illicitly acquired assets.
• A few years after the roll out of the CCTV project to control crime and maintain peace and security, there is a need to establish the efficiency of the project and identify gaps for improvement in identifying black spots in other parts of the country.
• Research is required on how to enhance the deployment of Intelligence Officers in the areas with heightened crime and Night deployment of both foot and motorised patrols in the crime prone areas.
• There is a need to strengthen community engagement for crime prevention through the community policing model of neighbourhood watch, popular vigilance LC I and intelligence-based investigations.
• Increase the use of technology by automating processes and systems to expedite investigations and prosecution of corruption cases

SDGs targeted: 16,17,10

This sector is vested in ensuring that justice is accessible to everyone, and that democracy and protection by the law are ubiquitous. The sector also seeks to ensure adequate protection of human rights. The diplomacy sub-sector aims to promote regional and international cooperation for peace and mutual development. Solutions are needed in the following sub-thematic areas:

• Research is needed on how to strengthen implementation of existing case management reforms such as Mediation, Plea Bargain, Small Claims Procedure, Case Backlog Reduction Strategy, child-friendly procedures, automation of Court processes, daily hearings of criminal cases in the High Court.
• Ideas are also needed on how to apply emerging technologies (e.g. digital technology, artificial intelligence and big-data) to improve the process of delivering justice. Approaches to increased use of ICTs in the courts are also needed.
• As the Government seeks to equip all the 53 border stations, 6 regional offices and 19 missions abroad with all hardware and software, e-immigration system consumables and e-immigration system roll-out peripherals, there is need to develop curriculum/guidelines on how to continuously build capacity of the staff in these offices
• Research is needed on how to upgrade and roll out the e-passport system and e-immigration system to all Ugandan missions abroad to enable complete and free movement of citizens across the country.
• The sector needs evidence on how to undertake research studies to enhance evidence-based legislation. The studies will help to uphold the universal principles of human rights, gender equality, and the aspirations of the Sustainable Development Goals. The sector needs ideas on how to build capacity of Local Government Officials on the drafting of Ordinances and Bye laws, so as to improve on the pieces of draft legislation from Local Governments.

SDGs targeted: 9,8,10

Information and Communication Technology is a cross-cutting sector that supports other sectors. The sector provides a backbone for communication to support service delivery but also promotes the use of ICT tools for more efficiency. The Sector is in the process of building an ICT backbone to support other sectors and to facilitate economic transformation. Research and innovations are needed in the following sub-themes:

• The sector would also like to increase capacity for use of data (including big data and artificial intelligence) for development including fore-casting, planning, monitoring of programs and for development of applications that can improve service delivery. The sector would like innovations that increase the capacity of other sectors to develop and use electronic records such as the flagship e-services and rolled out e-services across all NDPIII programs (e.g. eGP, iHMIS, PBMIS).
• The sector would like to expand the innovative use of digital media and emerging technologies in economic activities and professional service delivery (e.g. mobile phones, drones, nano-technolology, and robotics).
• There is a need for research on how best to coordinate and implement the cyber security strategy and create awareness and sensitization on the Data Protection and Privacy Act and other cyber laws.
• Evidence is required on how best the Government can collaborate with the private sector and partner in the development of local assembly plants to foster manufacturing, and Production.
• We need information on how best to coordinate the implementation of the National Strategy on 4IR, including but not limited to awareness campaigns on 4IR opportunities and risks

SDGs targeted: 9,11,13,10

The works Sector is a services sector that supports other sectors through infrastructure development. The sector also includes the industrial and manufacturing sub-sector which is the engine for national development. The sector therefore relies on technology, investments in industrial development and a major national focus on industry driven economic transformation. Evidence is needed in the following priority sub-themes:

• There is a need for innovative solutions to sensitise farmers/producers on trade procedures and standards with emphasis on exporting and supporting the refurbishment of storage facilities.
• There is a need for innovative solutions to improve the quality and standards of products manufactured in Uganda and expand the services of Uganda National Bureau Standards.
• There is a need for research and innovations on the establishment of Border Export Zones at key strategic border points to increase cross border trade.
• Research and innovations to enhance value addition and industrialization.
• Research and innovations to inform development of regional science, technology and innovation policies; promotion of scientific knowledge, technology advancement and innovation; strengthening support towards the application of science technology and innovation for socio-economic development.
• Research and innovations to enhance implementation of integrated physical and economic development in new cities.

SDGs targeted: 1,8,9,12

The business sector drives the economy. Uganda is ranked as the most entrepreneurial country in the world and the majority of start-ups and businesses are informal. However, the rate at which new businesses fail is high. Innovations are needed to develop a robust business sector that can survive strong economic head-winds to create a sustainable economy.

• Research and innovations on supporting and promoting local content and building capacity of local providers to compete favourably in public procurement and enforcing the Implementation of the Guidelines on Preference and Reservation Schemes, implementation of the existing local content policy, and other related legal and institutional framework.
• Research and innovations to harmonise Legal Metrology procedures and processes in accordance with EAC and other Regional Agreements to minimise Non Technical Barriers to trade.
• Research and Innovations to expand the existing scope for accreditation to ensure recognition of UNBS certification services, testing and metrology services, as well as inclusion of Imports Inspection, market surveillance and Legal Metrology.
• Research on the legal reform process to strengthen the current Free Zones scheme to accommodate Special Economic Zones in order to attract a wider range of export oriented investments.
• There is need for research that will provide evidence on priority enterprises in every parish; in order to inform the Parish Development Model Enterprises.
• There is need for research to support the private sector to create jobs in the key growth areas.

SDGs targeted: 7,1,8,12

Energy drives production in the economy while minerals are a source of wealth that can accelerate national development. There is a need for more innovations in the energy and mineral sector as a direct link to increased revenue and jobs. Solutions are needed in the following priority sub-themes:

• Research and Innovations to increase deployment of new renewable energy solutions
• Research and innovations to maintain existing investments in exploration and quantification of mineral wealth.
• Research and innovations to organise, formulate and regulate artisanal and small-scale miners.
• Research and innovations towards development and implementation of an incentive regime for actors in the priority mineral value chains
• Research and innovations to support Establishment of Quality Management System for oil and gas operations considering gender and equity aspects

The MakRIF PhD Research Grants will cover all technical disciplines in Makerere University as long as the research questions align with the instructive research agenda themes above. Particular attention will be paid to ideas that have clear potential for scalability to drive development.

Note:  This grant covers the coasts of research. It does not cover payment of tuition or living stipends for the PhD students. 

Eligibility

The PhD research grants will only be open to PhD students who have been approved for full registration at Makerere University. Students who have already received full scholarships under other award programs are not eligible to apply for these grants as this will constitute double funding. Members of Academic staff who are not on the Makerere University Staff Development Program, as well as those who are on the Staff Development Program but received only a tuition waiver without research funding are eligible to apply, provided they do not have full funding for their research from elsewhere. This funding is only open to Makerere University students. PhD students registered in other universities are not eligible for this funding. Further specifications on the awards are as follows:

• Applicants must be at a stage where they have been approved for full registration as PhD students at Makerere University. Being at the stage of full registration means that they have developed a full research proposal that has been approved by the respective Higher Degrees Research Committee in their academic unit, and that they have been have been recommended for full registration OR are fully registered by Makerere University. Applicants will be required to provide evidence of one of the following: Minutes of the Higher Degrees Research Committee in their Academic college, showing approval of their research proposal, OR a full registration certificate.
• Because the research funds are provided for one year funding cycles, PhD students with provisional registration will not be eligible for funding under this award since the time required for them to complete full proposal development and to start data collection is unlikely to fit within the financial year. 
• These grants are limited to PhD students who do not have prior funding for their studies or whose funding is inadequate to cover their research. Applicants in the latter category must make full disclosure of their other funding sources and what they cover.
• Applicants should provide a letter of support from any  one  of the following: 1) The Head of their Department, or 2) The Dean of their School, or 3) the Principal of their College (Only one of these is sufficient).
• Applicants should provide a letter of support from one of their Supervisors within Makerere University. The letter should clearly indicate that they do not have other funding that fully covers their research/training activities, or where such funding is available, they should indicate what aspects of the student’s study program it covers and the funding gap. The supporting Supervisor will be designated as a co-Investigator on the research project.

GRANT GUIDELINES

MakRIF PhD Research Grant applicants will submit a competitive project proposal for the available funding. The proposal ought to specify the objectives for the full research project. It should also indicate which of the full research objectives will be specifically met by the available funding for this financial year. 

Students intending to apply for multi-year funding in the subsequent years will be required to indicate so. In such cases, the students should indicate which study objectives would be covered by the extension funding.

The research problem:  The proposal should clearly articulate the knowledge gap that the researcher targets to address, and why it is important to address this knowledge gap. The research problem should be aligned to at least one theme in the MakRIF research agenda. 

The proposed solution:  PhD Researchers should present the proposed solution in form of the research focus for the current phase of the funding. They should clearly articulate the objectives of the planned research. Researchers should also describe the critical content of the solution (i.e., the ‘research methodology’). Researchers should defend the relevance of the proposed solution to addressing key development outcomes in the respective sector and its alignment to one or more thematic areas specified in this call. Researchers should also demonstrate that at least one objective of their research project is implementable within one (1) year and will result in tangible results within one year of execution. 

Research projects that require multi-year implementation will only be considered if they can show actionable intermediate results or objectives attainable within 1 implementation year, since funding will be on a yearly basis. Apart from a summary of the proposed approach, researchers will provide a more detailed description of their technical approach (research methodology) to enable a robust assessment of the rigor of the proposed methodology. 

Outputs, outcomes and impact:  Researchers should articulate the overall scientific outputs, outcomes and anticipated impact of the PhD research project. They should state the primary (Direct) and secondary (Indirect) beneficiaries of the planned research project. They should state the anticipated outputs (the outputs of the activities of the entire project as well as the specific milestones to be attained with the one-year funding) and the outcomes (both the outcomes of the entire project and those for the current funding phase). Researchers should also state the anticipated impact of the the project (Note: Impact might not be achievable in one or even a few years in which case the current phase only contributes to it). Since this funding is specific to the current financial year, projects must demonstrate clearly the deliverables they expect within one year, matching the level of investment made and attainable in the 1-year timeframe. Multi-year projects should show clearly what will be achieved in the current year of funding as well as what would be achieved overall when the full PhD research is completed in the subsequent years.

Translation and dissemination for impact:  Since this fund is aimed at supporting government and its partners to improve service delivery and to accelerate development, researchers should show a clear plan for disseminating their findings to audiences critical for policy and program change so as to achieve impact at scale. This will include a clear description of the knowledge translation and dissemination plan to stakeholders in the relevant sectors including the knowledge products anticipated to arise from the study (e.g., publications, policy briefs, knowledge briefs, etc.). Innovation-based projects should articulate a scaling strategy, including linkage to scaling partners within the industry (for commercially viable enterprises), or within the relevant public sectors (for innovations targeted to the public) or within relevant implementing agencies (for social enterprises). Innovations targeting commercial interest should demonstrate the anticipated commercial potential, anticipated demand, anticipated patents/copy-rights/industrial design claims/trademarks if applicable and the path to commercialization. Innovations targeting social impact (social innovations) should elucidate the path to wide scale community uptake. 

Ethical implications:  The implications of the research to human subjects, animal subjects and the environment should be articulated where necessary including how key ethical or environmental concerns arising from the study will be addressed. It is anticipated that at the time of full registration, projects requiring ethical approval will have already obtained that approval from their respective ethics committees.

Budget:  Researchers will prepare a summary budget for the one-year phase of their project as well as a detailed budget. Budgets should be submitted in the official currency (Uganda Shillings).  Because these are university funds, academic units (Departments, Schools and Colleges) will not charge institutional overheads to any of the research funds. Budgets should not spread beyond one Financial Year. Even if the projects to be funded under this mechanism are multi-year, researchers should provide a budget for only one Financial Year. The budgets will include the following sections:

• 1.0 Personnel costs
• 3.0 Supplies and services
• 4.0 Equipment
• 5.0 Program activity costs
• 6.0 Dissemination

Under Personnel costs, applicants should not budget for ‘Salaries’ for staff who are paid a salary by Makerere University or another Government of Uganda institution (whether on permanent or contract terms) as this would constitute double payment from government funds. However, such researchers can budget for ‘activity-based’ time input or ‘level-of-effort-based’ costs for their additional time input into the project in form of allowances. The latter should be justified by specifying the extra-time demands from the project for each individual involved. 

Researchers can budget for salaries for critical project staff that are not paid by Makerere or the Government of Uganda e.g., Project Coordinators, Administrative Assistants, Research Officers etc. Regular Personnel costs excluding field research assistants should not exceed 33% of the budget. Field research assistants (or Data collectors) if needed should not be included under ‘Personnel costs’ but should instead be included under ‘Program Activity Costs’. All salaries and all repetitive allowances will be subject to mandatory statutory deductions at source, to pay the relevant taxes. Because these funds are earmarked to support actual research, PhD students cannot budget for a monthly stipend under this award.

In addition to the summary budget, research teams will be required to attach a detailed budget (As an MS Excel attachment) that breaks down all expenditure line items, inclusive of a budget justification that explains the rationale behind the different budget items. The total budget in the budget summary should exactly match that in the detailed breakdown. You should budget within the category that your project was funded in RIF-1. Budgeting in another category will lead to disqualification. The total budget should not exceed the highest amount indicated for the respective funding category in which your project lies. Exceeding the indicated category maximum can result in disqualification.

PhD Researchers can also budget for Tuition.

Workplan:  Researchers will provide a list of key milestones for the project clearly demonstrating the deliverables expected at each point during the extension phase of the project. These milestones will be used as the basis for tracking implementation of activities towards project goals and outputs. Given the one-year time-frame for the awards, it will be important that researchers commit to a clear time-bound set of deliverables all achievable within one year for the main deliverable targeted during the current period of funding. Failure to articulate a one (1) year plan will imply inability to utilize the grant funds within one (1) year

GRANT PROCESS

Submission of applications:  Submission of the applications will be online at  http://rif.mak.ac.ug/portal All submissions must be online and must be made within the stipulated period. To access the application form, the PhD Research Fund applicant will be required to create a MakRIF account. In your account, select the appropriate funding opportunity and fill out the application form. 

Rules governing applications:  All applications should be written in English. All applications should be submitted via the online portal mentioned above. Complete applications must be submitted not later than 11.59pm East African Time on the closing date. No submissions after closure of applications will be accepted. Any attempt at solicitation of acceptance beyond this date will not be entertained. The Grants Committee bears no responsibility for submissions that are not completed in time and incomplete submissions will not be considered. If none of the submitted applications meets the requirements to receive a grant, the call may be reopened at the sole discretion of the Grants Management Committee. An individual researcher should not submit more than ONE application.

Participants agree to assume any and all risks, and to waive claims against Makerere University and the Grants Management Committee for any injury, death, damage, or loss of property, revenue, or profits, whether direct, indirect, or consequential, arising from their participation in this grant implementation.

Evaluation and selection of projects:  Applications will be reviewed by the GMC. Submission of an application does not mean the project must be funded. The GMC will evaluate five main aspects of the project:

• The alignment of the proposed research to national priorities as stipulated in the MakRIF research agenda
• Clear articulation of the knowledge gap and how the planned research will contribute to building new knowledge
• Quality of the proposal in terms of the relevance and innovativeness of the proposed solution, the planned activities and the articulation of a sound methodology
• Clear stipulation of outputs and outcomes and feasibility of tangible achievements within one year of funding
• Potential impact and transformativeness of the proposed research idea
• Submission of a realistic budget

Notification of successful applicants:  Successful applicants will be informed by email to their designated point of contact.

Grant timeline:

To submit application, please create an account on https://rif.mak.ac.ug/portal and login to start the application process.

Related Posts

Recent posts.

• Happy International Women’s Day March 8, 2024
• Research Capacity Strengthening and Building Engagements in Muni University, Arua District in Uganda March 7, 2024
• Join the Mak-RIF Round 5 Grant Track 2-Sensitization Session on March 1, 2024 February 28, 2024
• Deal Done – Memorandum of Understanding between Makerere University and Uganda’s Ministry of Public Service February 23, 2024
• Request for Applications (RFA); Round 5, Track 2: PhD Research Grants 2023/2024 February 9, 2024
• Join the Mak-RIF5 Awards Launch January 15, 2024
• Mak- RIF engages Private Sector, NGOs, and CSO representatives in UgandaReview of the Mak-RIF Research Agenda November 13, 2023
• Digitalizing Academic Records and Processes at Makerere University to improve and ease service delivery November 6, 2023
• Engagement with Uganda’s Ministry of Public Service October 4, 2023
• Consultative Engagement with Makerere University Principals and Deans September 29, 2023

© 2020 Makerere University Research and Innovations Fund

OR you can also search using our extensive search feature .

• Research Projects

Highlights of some of the projects taking place at Mak

A variety of research projects are taking place across the University. In the following section, we highlight some of them. 

Click on any project title below to expand for more information on that project.

MaRCCI is an African Regional Centre of Excellence for Crop Improvement supported by a grant from World Bank (2017-2022). MaRCCI builds upon Makerere University’s highly respected PhD and MSc training in plant breeding that was initiated as a regional programme by the Regional Universities Forum for Capacity Building in Agriculture (RUFORUM) in 2008.

For more: visit https://rcci.mak.ac.ug/

Makerere University with support from Sida/SAREC has undertaken several research projects in the Faculties of Social Sciences, Agriculture, Medicine and Technology.

The key focus of support was on research and PhD supervision in the various areas as outlined below:

• Livestock nutrition and husbandry project
• Urban crop waste soil fertility inputs in urban and peri- urban Agricultural systems
• Integrated pest management following use of crop-wastes
• Social- economic implications of market waste utilization in urban and Peri-Urban Agriculture
• Molecular Biology of Malaria
• Clinical Pharmacology of Malaria
• Degenerative Diseases, particularly cancer
• Reproductive Health and HIV/AIDS
• Mental Health
• Uganda’s Foreign Policy in the Security Complexes in the Great Lakes Region from 1986
• Agricultural Liberalisation, Gender Relations and Livelihood patterns in Central Uganda
• Gender vulnerability to HIV/AIDS and changes in risk behaviour
• Faculty capacity building Fund
• Conflict and Post conflict reconciliation in Uganda
• Public Policy, changing Gender Relations, Ideologies and Identities in Uganda
• The Political economy of Disease in the context of conflict
• Performance of highway pavements in the Lake Region
• Development of Environment Friendly Architecture in the Lake Victoria region
• Water quality management and pollution control in Uganda
• Characterisation of high temperature ceramic raw materials in Uganda for manufacture of firebricks
• Sustainable energy for rural development
• Integration of small renewable energy sources
• Geographical Information System database for Uganda

The following research projects have been supported by NORAD

• Faculty of Forestry and Nature Conservation (Now - School of Forestry, Environmental & Geographical Sciences) A multidisciplinary approach to encompass a range of species of plants, animals and socio-economic studies of local communities in Budongo Forest

Faculty of Agriculture (Now - College of Agriculture & Environmental Sciences)

Ankole cow and Mubende goat genetic research through the Department of Animal Science, in collaboration with both local and international research institutions.

• Incubator:  The Directorate for Information and Communication Technology Support (DICTS) in collaboration with IDRC and SPIDER  software development projects
• Amategaitu:  Amate Gaitu is a community of commercial farmers in partnership with researchers, students, input suppliers, processors, distributors, consultants, investors and service providers, creating, sharing and applying scientific knowledge and technological innovation through supplying high quality, value added dairy, grain and fruit products for the nourishment and health of Africans.

The overall goal of the programme is to increase the capacity of Makerere and Partner public Universities to generate knowledge and promote research uptake for national and regional development. This is line with the Makerere University’s strategic Plan 2008/09 – 2018/19 aimed at enhancing the transformation and utilization of knowledge, research and Innovation capacity of public higher education institutions to conduct and sustain strategic and quality research that will contribute to the development needs of Uganda and beyond.

This goal is to be met by focusing on training to Masters and PhD levels, as well as postdoctoral research. The program will also emphasize strengthening partnerships and optimizing synergies with Sweden supported initiatives in the region.

Objectivies

• Improve the institutional and research infrastructure to support a robust environment for research and innovations at Makerere University by 2020.
• Strengthen local PhD training in public universities in Uganda by 2020.
• Increase the generation and dissemination of knowledge and research outputs by 2020
• Increase capacity for knowledge translation and innovations by 2020.
• Increase partnerships and regional synergies for knowledge generation and sharing by 2020
• Improve the coordination and management of research and knowledge uptake by 2020
• |Increase cooperation with and strengthen capacity of partner public universities by 2020

For more information about this project, visit https://mak-sweden.mak.ac.ug

The Vehicle Design Project is an innovative research project aimed at applying contemporary technologies to develop sustainable transportation solutions for Uganda and Africa.

The Project was inspired by the Vehicle Design Summit (VDS), an International Student-Led Consortium aimed at Leapfrogging Sustainable Transportation Technologies.

In 2008, Vehicle Design Summit (VDS) Teams from 35 Pre-eminent Research Universities built a 5 seater Plug in Hybrid Electric Vehicle, The Vision 200 Led by Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). 

Makerere University, the only African team, developed the Power Train and in-Vehicle Communication Network for the Vision 200.

The vision of the project is to be at the forefront of research and development of green transport technologies in Africa, while its mission is to carry out research aimed at development of cost effective and environmentally friendly transportation technologies for Africa.

The Tactical Objective, on the other hand, is to build from scratch a 2-seater Electric Vehicle code-named Kiira as proof of concept, while the strategic objectives are; development of Hybrid Public transport Vehicle-(Omni-bus), and establishment of Centre of Excellence in Transportation Research.

Click Here To Read More About Kiira EV..

• Research Funding
• Publications
• Research Agenda
• Government - Collaboration & Partnership
• Academic - Collaboration & Partnership

PhD Students

• PhD Material
• Weekly Supplementary Readings
• Popular Readings
• Program Overview
• Academic Calendar
• Applications
• Student Blogs

Makerere University PhD Courses Offered

Makerere University PhD Courses Offered – Check the list of doctoral degree programs offered at Makerere University…

DOCTORAL DEGREES BY COURSEWORKS AND DISSERTATIONS

• PhD in Health Science
• PhD in Agricultural and Rural Innovation
• PhD in Data Communication & Software Engineering
• PhD in Computer Science
• PhD in Information Technology
• PhD in Information Systems
• PhD in Information Science
• PhD in Educational Management
• PhD in Plant Breeding and Biotechnology
• PhD in Economics

1 Makerere University Government Sponsorship Admissions

2 Makerere University Readvert Admissions

3 Makerere University Undergraduate Admission

4 Makerere University Postgraduate Admission

5 Makerere University Diploma Entry Scheme Admission

6 Makerere University Private Sponsorship Admission

7 Makerere University Re-advertised Undergraduate Admission

8 Makerere University Direct Entry Scheme Admission

9 Makerere University Bachelor of Laws Admission

10 Makerere University Business School Admission

11 Makerere University Business School Online Application

12 Makerere University Law School Admissions

13 Makerere University College of Health Sciences Admissions

14 Makerere University Application Deadline

15 Makerere University Application Form

16 Makerere University Online Application

17 Makerere University Online Application Deadline

18 Makerere University Admission Lists

19 Makerere University Courses Offered

20 Makerere University Cut Off Points

21 Makerere University Fees Structure

22 Makerere University Admission Requirements

23 Makerere University Joining Instructions

24 Makerere University Weighting System

25 Makerere University Bachelor of Law Pre Entry Exams

26 Makerere University Business School Courses

27 Makerere University Business School Fees Structure

28 Makerere University Anthem Lyrics

29 Makerere University Students Portal

30 Makerere University Opening Date

31 Makerere University Academic Calendar

32 Makerere University Important Dates

33 Makerere University Contact Address

34 Makerere University Business School Arua Campus

35 Makerere University Business School Jinja Campus

36 Makerere University Business School Mbale Campus

37 Makerere University Business School Mbarara Campus

38 Makerere University Business School Academic Calendar

39 Makerere University Business School Students Portal

40 Makerere University Business School Elearning Portal

41 Makerere University Mature Age Entry Scheme Examinations

42 Makerere University Business School Contact Address

43 Makerere University Colleges

44 Makerere University DRGT

45 Makerere University E learning Environment

46 Makerere University E Learning Courses

47 Makerere University Hostels

48 Makerere University Historical Background

49 Makerere University Intranet

50 Makerere University Intakes

51 Makerere University Internships

52 Makerere University i Enabler

53 Makerere University Jobs and Careers

54 Makerere University Jinja Campus

55 Makerere University Jinja Campus Courses

56 Makerere University Jinja Campus Online Registration

57 Makerere University Main Campus

58 Makerere University Pre Entry Examination

59 Makerere University Pre Entry Results

60 Makerere University Online Registration

61 Makerere University Scholarships .

62 Makerere University Students Results Online

63 Makerere University Vision and Mission

64 Makerere University Mature Age Results

65 Makerere University Students Loan Scheme

66 Makerere University Graduation Fees

67 Makerere University Graduation Requirements

68 Makerere University Graduation

69 Makerere University Graduation List

70 How To Calculate CGPA Makerere University

RECOMMENDED LINKS:

COURSES OFFERED AT PUBLIC UNIVERSITIES IN UGANDA

Busitema University Courses Offered

Gulu University Courses Offered

Kabale University Courses Offered

Kyambogo University Courses Offered

Lira University Courses Offered

Makerere University Courses Offered

Mbarara University of Science and Technology Courses Offered

Muni University Courses Offered

Soroti University Courses Offered

Uganda Management Institute Courses Offered

Courses Offered at PRIVATE UNIVERSITIES IN UGANDA

Africa Renewal University Courses Offered

African Bible University Courses Offered

African Rural University Courses Offered

Aga Khan University Courses Offered

All Saints University Courses Offered

Ankole Western University Courses Offered

Bishop Barham University College Courses Offered

Bishop Stuart University Courses Offered

Bugema University Courses Offered

Busoga University Courses Offered

Cavendish University Uganda Courses Offered

Clarke International University Courses Offered

Great Lakes Regional University Courses Offered

International Health Sciences University Courses Offered

International University of East Africa Courses Offered

Islamic University in Uganda Courses Offered

Kampala International University Courses Offered

Kampala University Courses Offered

Kumi University Courses Offered

LivingStone International University Courses Offered

Muteesa I Royal University Courses Offered

Mountains of the Moon University Courses Offered

Ndejje University Courses Offered

Nkumba University Courses Offered

Nsaka University Courses Offered

St. Augustine International University Courses Offered

St. Lawrence University Courses Offered

Stafford University Uganda Courses Offered

Team University Uganda Courses Offered

Uganda Christian University Courses Offered

Uganda Martyrs University Courses Offered

University of Kisubi Courses Offered

Uganda Pentecostal University Courses Offered

University of the Sacred Heart Gulu Courses Offered

Uganda Technology and Management University Courses Offered

Victoria University Uganda Courses Offered

Virtual University of Uganda Courses Offered

Ibanda University Courses Offered

Limkokwing University of Creative Technology Courses Offered

ISBAT University Courses Offered

rsity Mature Age Results

5 thoughts on “ Makerere University PhD Courses Offered ”

I would like to apply for PhD in Educational Management by Coursework 2021/2022 ACADEMIC Year. I request to know the deadline and requirements.

I would like to apply for PhD in Social Sciences by Research 2021/22 Academic year and my preferred topic is “Public Policy and Strategic Management”

I would like to apply for masters in Public Health y course work 2022/2023 ACADEMIC Year, Via full tome i want to know the deadline and requirements. and the tuition fee for completing the course.

I would like to apply for PhD in Educational Management 2021/2022 ACADEMIC Year. Kindly provide me with detailed information on the above programme.

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment.

The Independent Uganda: You get the Truth we Pay the Price

Yumbe mango factory to start operations, namboole: grand re-opening, wins for bul and kcca.

• Details of Hamas-Israel deal leak
• Private sector urged to stop being intimidated by politics
• Delegates make “significant” progress on plastics treaty
• Flood warning issued for Rwandans living near rivers amid heavy rains
• Uganda urges Britain to stop meddling in domestic affairs after sanctions
• EU passes labour law
• Can low-budget, high-quality films help African film making?
• Why the EU’s new migration pact matters

Nawangwe renews call for Govt sponsorship of PhD students

The Independent April 26, 2024 NEWS Leave a comment

Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT |  Makerere University dons have renewed calls for government to provide scholarships for PhD (Doctor of Philsophy) students.

This was during the opening day of the annual forum for graduate research and policy dialogue held at Makerere University’s Yusuf Lule Teaching Facility on Thursday.

Makerere is organizing the two-day event which is merged with the annual doctoral convention under the theme of Regional Integration and Development to serve as a pivotal platform for fostering dynamic discourse among academia, policymakers, and stakeholders, aiming to bridge the gap between research and policy implementation in Uganda.

Several students use the forum to interact and share their research areas, critique concepts and proposals, and research outputs.

Professor Barnabas Nawangwe, the Makerere University Vice Chancellor who gave the keynote address said that Makerere has long advocated for scholarships for PHD students or loan schemes to increase the number of students that enroll in PhD programs.

Nawangwe also said that Makerere has for long wanted to graduate more PhDs in line with the World Bank’s call for African universities to produce at least 100,000 Ph.D. graduates annually. However, achieving this goal has been hindered by the high cost of PhD education.

He made reference to China which is growing at a high speed and put China’s development as the focus they injected in higher education and produced several Ph.Ds. He said if Uganda is to develop, it should replicate what is taking place in China.

Tuition fees for PhD students at Makerere University vary from 5 to 10 million Shillings per year, depending on the nature of their program of study.

Additionally, research expenses range from 10 to 20 million Shillings, a fee that poses a significant financial burden for many students and often compels many students to abandon their programs due to a lack of funds.

Speaking to URN on the sidelines, Nawangwe said that the university’s request for funding is not excessive. He proposed that a government investment of 3 billion Shillings in PhD scholarships could support more than 300 students across different universities.

It should be noted that; during the 74th graduation earlier this year, Makerere University graduated 132 Ph.D students, the highest ever for the university.

Professor Edward Baale, the Director of the Directorate of Research and Graduate Training said that there is evidence that the return on investment in higher education has outcompeted the investment in lower education, and used this to ask the government to fund PhDs because they can create businesses opportunities which are engines to economic growth.

Currently, the government only offers sponsorships to undergraduate students.

At least 4,000 students across different public universities including Makerere, Kyambogo, Mbarara, Busitema, MUBS, Kabale, Lira, Muni, and Gulu receive government sponsorship every year.

Dr. John Chrysostom Muyingo the State Minister for Higher Education who was the Chief Guest noted that the government is aware of the kind of impact that Education has on regional integration and therefore prioritizing it in their interest.

“Education and research play a pivotal role in driving regional integration and development. As a scholar and researcher, you are uniquely positioned to contribute to this noble endeavor. Your pursuit of knowledge and academic excellence holds the promise of transformative change, catalyzing innovation, progress, and inclusive growth.” He said.

One of the students Grace Adella who studies Energy, Economics, and Governance at MUBS presented their research paper; which examined the environmental influences on electricity reliability in Uganda’s grid system specifically looking at the reliability of Uganda’s electricity.

In her research, she revealed that Uganda experiences power outages approximately 84 times a month due to fluctuating water levels in Lake Victoria caused by climate variations.

In her recommendations, Adella proposed regional cooperation to manage Lake Victoria’s water levels consistently, which she believes could alleviate the challenge of electricity outages.

Tags Education Nawangwe PhD

Related Articles

May 2, 2024

Luwero primary schools stuck with ironsheets donated by ministry

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment.

Notify me of follow-up comments by email.

Notify me of new posts by email.

• UB Directory
• Office of the Provost >
• Resources >

Four from UB receive NSF Graduate Research Fellowships

campus news

By CHARLES ANZALONE

Published May 2, 2024

Three UB students and one alumna have received prestigious National Science Foundation (NSF) Graduate Research Fellowship Program (GRFP) scholarships.

Two alumni and one current students received honorable mentions.

The latest awards continue UB’s success in placing its students as winners in the GRFP scholarship program. Launched in 1952, the GRFP represents the oldest continuous investment in the nation’s science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) workforce. As one of the most competitive scholastic programs in the U.S., it recruits high-potential, early-career scientists and engineers, and supports their graduate research training.

“The NSF Graduate Research Fellowship is a great recognition of the recipients’ accomplishments,” says Ashlee N. Ford Versypt, associate professor in the Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, and faculty fellow for NSF GRFP at UB. “Their potential for further impacts in their fields of research is a reflection of the outstanding research environment at UB.

“Additionally, Ariel Lighty, one of this year’s recipients, is a graduate student in my lab, which is very exciting personally.”

The UB students and recent graduates who received the GRFP are:

Lauren Heinzinger

Heinzinger graduated from UB in 2021 with a BS in biological sciences and a BA in English and psychology. While at UB, she was a National Institutes of Health Undergraduate Scholarship Program (NIH UGSP) recipient and a Ronald E. McNair Scholar. After earning her bachelor’s degree, she worked at the NIH as a postbaccalaureate research fellow for two and a half years. In the fall, she will pursue a PhD in microbiology and immunology at the University of Michigan as a Rackham Merit Fellow. Heinzinger’s basic and translational research interests include host-pathogen interactions and bacterial pathogenesis.

Hess graduates from UB this spring with a BS in biochemistry and will pursue a PhD in cancer biology at the University of Michigan. He conducted research in biochemistry professor Jennifer Surtees’s lab at UB and at Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center under Katerina Gurova. His research pertains to understanding genomic instability and characterizing next-generation chemotherapies, called chromatin damaging agents. Hess has also served as a Civic Engagement Alternative Break team leader, Ready-Set-Buffalo team leader and is an academic tutor.

Ariel Lighty

Ariel Lighty is a first-generation student and UB Schomburg Fellow pursuing a PhD in chemical and biological engineering. Her PhD research focuses on understanding the effects of aging and diet on gut health using mathematical models, and she hopes to continue advancing biomedical sciences through data-driven and mechanistic models after graduating.

Sarah MacDougall

MacDougall is completing her master’s degree in linguistics and will pursue her PhD in psychology at UB in the fall focusing on language processing and cognition. A former music major, she took a winding path and eventually got her undergraduate degree in psychology from Purdue University before pursuing graduate studies at UB.

One current UB student and two alumni received honorable mention:

• Leah Maykish received a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering at Ohio State University in 2015 is pursuing a PhD in engineering education at UB.
• Julia Shapiro received a bachelor’s degree in mathematics from UB in 2022. She will receive her master’s degree in mathematics from Virginia Tech this semester and will continue on at Virginia Tech to earn a PhD in mathematics.
• Matthew Simkulet graduated from UB in 2022 with a bachelor’s of science degree in biomedical engineering and a mathematics minor. He is currently pursuing his PhD in biomedical engineering at Boston University.

Do you have questions or comments for the Office of the Provost? Let us know your thoughts and we’ll be happy to get back to you.

PhD Excellence Initiative

A campus-wide, student-centric effort to ensure that UB’s PhD programs remain among the strongest in the world.

Recent University News

• 5/2/24 SEAS student takes second place at UB’s Henry A. Panasci Jr. Technology Entrepreneurship Competition
• 5/2/24 Four from UB receive NSF Graduate Research Fellowships
• 5/2/24 UB geology student selected for Department of Energy program
• 5/1/24 Statement on arrests by UB Police following protest on North Campus Wednesday
• 5/1/24 Statement on university response to protest on North Campus

• All Graduate Programs
• Doctoral Degree Programs
• Master's Degree Programs
• Dual Bachelor's/Master's Degrees
• Postbaccalaureate Programs
• Special Students (Non-Degree)
• Meet Our Faculty
• Apply Online
• Frequently Asked Questions
• Application Fees
• Admitted Students
• Request Information
• Diversity at GSAS
• International Applicants
• Visiting Brandeis and Waltham
• Cost of Attendance Calculator
• Financial Aid
• Aid for Master's Students
• Alum Scholarship
• Institute for the Recruitment of Teachers Scholarship
• Veterans Benefits
• Aid for Doctoral Students
• Stipend Information
• DEIS Scholarship
• Aid for Postbaccalaureate Students
• How to Apply for Loans
• News and Events
• Latest News
• Professional Development Series
• Upcoming Events
• Newsletters
• Student Resources
• Wellness Resources
• Student Employment
• Student Government
• Academic Resources
• GSAS Policies and Procedures
• Readmission
• Information for Incoming Students 2023
• Completing Your Program
• Staff Directory By Subject
• Teaching Opportunities with Undergraduates
• University Prize Instructorship
• Teaching Opportunities: Off-Campus and With Other Communities
• Graduate Student Teaching Awards
• Awards for Master's Students
• Awards for PhD Students
• Fellowships and Grants
• GSAS Fellowship and Grant Recipients
• Publications, Presentations, and Performances
• Graduate Student Appreciation Week - 2024
• Summer 2024 Funding and Professional Development
• Commencement
• Graduate School of Arts and Sciences Dean's Mentoring Award Nominations
• Professional Development
• One-on-One Career Consultations
• Past Career Seminar Recordings
• Job Search Resources
• Brandeis Alumni Career Paths
• Three Minute Thesis (3MT)
• Career Fellows Program
• Get Funding
• Program Overview
• Information for Students
• Information for Faculty
• Staff Directory by Subject
• Our Stories
• GSAS Couples
• Our Scholarship
• Program Celebrations
• Favorite Memories
• Brandeis 75th Anniversary
• Dean's Priorities
• Dean's Cabinet
• Alumni Career Paths
• Resources, Policies, and Procedures for Faculty and Staff
• Graduate Council
• Donate to GSAS

Brandeis combines the resources of a world-class research university with the personal attention of a liberal arts setting. The Graduate School of Arts and Sciences offers 17 doctoral programs and more than 40 master's and postbaccalaureate programs.

One of the key differences at the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences is our emphasis on interdisciplinary learning. You will learn the importance of connecting with people who have a broad range of expertise and experience.

We support all doctoral students and the majority of master’s and post-baccalaureate students who maintain satisfactory academic progress with loans and scholarships.

Keep up to date with the latest news and events from the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences.

• Student Life
• Academic Resources and Policies
• Teaching Opportunities and Resources
• Conference and Research Awards

Find important resources and information to help you succeed as a GSAS student.

• Events and Career Seminars
• The Connected PhD

Professional development at GSAS is for PhD and MA students in all departments and in all stages of their career. Whether you are just starting or are about to finish your degree, the resources we provide are for you. Our goal is to enable students to pursue fulfilling careers in the private sector, academia, non-profits and government.

• GSAS 70th Anniversary
• GSAS Alumni

Find a member of staff who can address your questions. Meet your Graduate Department Representative and your Director of Graduate Study.

Graduate School of Arts and Sciences

Gsas students shine in 2024 three minute thesis competition.

April 30, 2024

Ayla Cordell | Graduate School of Arts and Sciences

The 2024 Three Minute Thesis Competition (3MT) at Brandeis Graduate School of Arts & Sciences was not Will Dahl’s first rodeo. “It took me two tries,” the Molecular and Cell Biology PhD student said. “On my first attempt last year, I missed a line and stood silent for what felt like ages. To be honest, I was terrified!” This year, Will took home the first place prize for the Sciences of $1,000 and the overall win. He credits his success to careful planning, refinement, and lots of practice. He focused on formatting his talk as a story that would resonate with a wide audience: “Every sentence must be calibrated to communicate, and there is no room for asides. The talk converges from broader impacts to the actual thesis.”

Explaining your research in just three minutes is a tall order, but on April 5, the third annual 3MT Competition, founded by the University of Queensland , saw ten GSAS students meet that very task. Marika McCann, Associate Director of Professional Development at GSAS and member of the 3MT team, alongside Associate Professor of Anthropology and Faculty Director of Professional Development Jon Anjaria; Anahita Zare of MRSEC ; and Becky Prigge, Assistant Dean of Student Affairs at GSAS, said this about the 2024 competitors: “Our team was very impressed with how hard our students worked and the overall enthusiasm they brought to their talks. The audience learned so much from our students in this short time, including the possibility of early detection of Parkinson’s Disease, the importance of examining circadian rhythms, patterns in Honduran ceramics, and Tamil transfeminine performance in post-war Sri Lanka.”

Under the bright white stage lights and looking out upon an audience of friends, family, members of the Brandeis community, and a panel of five judges, finalists took to the Spingold Theatre stage. While it was certainly nerve-wracking, contestants noted the benefits of presenting in this format.

Manning Zhang, who won first place in the Humanities/Creative Arts/Social Sciences category, said the best moment of the competition was standing on the stage for the final round with rushing adrenaline. Acknowledging that few friends and family know about what she researches in Sociology and Health Policy, she began sharing more with them to understand how different people would react to her research. While this helped her prepare for the competition, it ended up holding deeper meaning for Zhang: “It took me a really long time to pursue my research and say, ‘This is meaningful.’ Getting feedback from people and hearing that they understand what I’m doing is really important to me.”

Victoria Khaghani, a Master’s student in Anthropology who was Runner Up in the Humanities/Creative Arts/Social Sciences category, echoed this sentiment. “You have to push yourself pretty hard to be able to condense your research down. But being able to then present my research to my family and have them say, ‘We finally understand what you’re doing,’ where they can understand the importance of it…that was huge.”

While contestants hoped to teach their audience something about their research, some finished the competition having learned new things about themselves. “I really like speaking in front of people,” Pranav Ojha, a Molecular and Cell Biology PhD student, discovered. “Figuring out what words to say, how to communicate them to inspire care - I enjoyed that process, and I’m coming out of it with different career ideas.” His passion for public speaking was evident - Ojha finished the competition with a total $1,250, after winning both Runner Up in the Sciences and the People’s Choice Award, which is determined through audience vote.

The final round may have showcased three minutes of individual presentation, but 3MT thrives as a collective and collaborative effort. “This is one of the only opportunities GSAS students at Brandeis have to share their research with the overall Brandeis community, outside of their departments,” McCann noted. Zhang (Sociology and Health Policy) even reached out to 2022 winner Emiliano Gutierrez-Popoca (PhD English ‘23), whose talk on Master-Servant Relations in Early Modern Drama led him to the National 3MT competition. Though they come from different disciplines, 3MT provided a platform for shared experience, and Popoca helped Zhang revise her draft for the final round. “I’ve gained a lot of rapport with people I didn’t think I could have rapport with…networking is very precious,” Zhang said. The 3MT community at Brandeis continues to strengthen and grow, and we cannot wait for next year!

Special thanks to 3MT sponsors: Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, Materials Research Science and Engineering Center, Mandel Center for the Humanities, Office of the Vice Provost for Research, and the Division of Sciences

This year’s winners include:

First Place - William Dahl (overall winner), Molecular and Cell Biology, Stressed Cells' Secret Weapon for Survival

Runner Up - Pranav Ojha, Molecular and Cell Biology, What Makes our Clock Tick: A Look at Where It All Starts

Humanities/Social Sciences/Creative Arts

First Place - Manning Zhang, Sociology and Health Policy, Move It or Lose It

Runner Up - Victoria Khaghani, Anthropology, The Devil’s in the Details: Neglected Patterns of Honduras

People’s Choice

Pranav Ojha

Search form

Advert: Admissions to Postgraduate Programmes 2023/2024

The Academic Registrar, Makerere University invites applications for admission to Graduate Programmes (Postgraduate Diplomas, Masters and Doctoral Degree Programmes) for the 2023/2024 Academic Year. Applicants should have obtained at least a first or second class degree (or its equivalent) from a Chartered University at the time of completion. Applicants should also possess a Uganda Certificate of Education (or its equivalent) and a Uganda Advanced Certificate ofEducation (or its equivalent).

PhD Degrees by Research:

Makerere University Online Application Portal User Guide

1. Visit the Makerere University's Admissions URL https://apply.mak.ac.ug

Your browser is outdated . This site will not function in it. Please upgrade to improve your experience and security.

University Libraries

Unt special collections 2024 research fellowship awardee - heather myers.

UNT Special Collections 2024 Research Fellowship Awardee

Heather Myers

Project Title

Portraiture and Paper Dolls: A Look at Women’s Lives

Project Description

Heather’s project is an examination of lineage and gender that will focus on material and artifacts like paper dolls. It will be a hybrid essay primarily crafted through collage, or an essay constructed in fragments, that examines the women in Heather’s lineage; she also plans to incorporate visual elements inspired by the artist Patricia Fertel. Through the Patricia Fertel Collection, she will examine femininity, girlhood, and womanhood, along with culture and the preoccupations that shaped women’s lives.

Heather Myers is from Altoona, PA. She has an MFA in Creative Writing from West Virginia University. She is a PhD candidate in Creative Writing at the University of North Texas. She was a 2018 AWP Intros Award Winner. Her work can be found or is forthcoming in Door=Jar , Keystone: Poets on Pennsylvania , The Journal , Palette Poetry , Puerto Del Sol and elsewhere.

• Special Collections : Special Collections Department
• Rare and Unique Materials : Special Collections Department
• Archives and Manuscripts : Special Collections Department
• Recursos en español : Special Collections Department
• Research : Special Collections Department
• Policies & Forms : Special Collections Department
• Classroom & Group Visits : Special Collections Department
• University Archive : Special Collections Department
• Keeper : Special Collections Department

UNT Quicklinks

People & places, information for ... specific audiences, locations & hours, librarians and staff, lending & technology, borrowing and renewals, search, find, explore, full text online:, library catalog:, databases & e-journals, courses & reserves, created and/or curated @ unt.

• Convocation 2024
• Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion

Pardee Students Lead Inaugural Graduate Research Conference

The Frederick S. Pardee School of Global Studies at Boston University recently hosted its first annual Pardee Atlas Graduate Research Conference on April 19, 2024. The student-led conference, organized by the editorial team of the Pardee Atlas Journal of Global Affairs, brought together graduate students from across the Greater Boston area to present their research and engage in discussions around the theme of “Global Challenges and Solutions for the 21st Century.”

The conference featured a diverse range of presentations from students at institutions including Boston University, Harvard University, Brandeis University, and others. Topics spanned issues in global education, health, humanitarian crises, geopolitics, and security.

“When I first started my graduate degree, I wanted to see more engagement between graduate students and give my fellow colleagues the opportunity to share their work and views on global issues impacting us today,” said Manpreet Singh, Editor-in-Chief of the Pardee Atlas Journal and co-chair of the conference. “With the leadership of my fellow co-chairs Brooke Van Ackooy and Alexis Moran, I am excited to see this vision come to life through our inaugural conference.”

The conference provided a platform for interdisciplinary exchange, with presentations covering subjects like teacher shortages in the Philippines and Venezuela, cost-effectiveness of HPV vaccination programs in Russia and Nigeria, impacts of the Taliban regime on gender and ethnic rights in Afghanistan, and the emergence of paramilitary organizations in post-Soviet Russia, among others.

“It was a pleasure working with both Brooke and Alexis as we built the foundation for future conferences,” Singh added. “Thank you to all the presenters for taking the time to share your work and engage in lively discussion. I also want to thank the Dean’s Office and Pardee School administrative team for their support in making this event possible.”

The conference organizers plan for this to become an annual event, fostering dialogue and collaboration among the next generation of global leaders and thinkers in the Boston area. 2024 presenters and their abstracts can be accessed here.

View all posts