RWTH Extends Computational Life Science Expertise to Kenya: Advancing Global Collaboration
Professor Daniel Mugendi Njiru, Rector of the University of Embu, congratulates Professor Anna Matuszyńska on her successful workshop at the 2023 Hackathon on Computational Modeling
How can computer-aided modeling techniques be integrated into research work? Professor Anna Matuszyńska, holder of the junior professorship for Computational Life Science at RWTH Aachen University, imparted the necessary skills and knowledge to young researchers from seven East African universities. Matuszyńska worked in the field of computer modeling with scientists on the topic of computational life science as part of the 2023 hackathon workshop at the University of Embu in Kenya.
The RWTH professor accepted the invitation of the mathematician Dr. Marilyn Chepkurui Ronoh from the University of Embu in Kenya. Ronoh invited Matuszyńska to teach young researchers during the hackathon workshop in the field of computational life science. The hackathon covered various aspects of computational modeling and particularly focused on its application in the fight against HIV. The participating students came from a variety of disciplines, including mathematics, statistics, engineering, agriculture and biology.
Professor Matuszyńska has been working with Kenyan institutions since 2021, when she applied for funding from the Volkswagen Foundation as part of the “Knowledge for Tomorrow” program to organize a summer school in computational biology, which Dr. Ronoh attended. Based on this impulse, the mathematician from the University of Embu recruited a UNESCO-OSWD Early Career with the project “Using Computational Modeling and Artificial Intelligence to Enhance HIV Testing, Status Awareness, and Disclosure among Adolescent Boys and Girls, and Young Men and Women in Kenya”. Fellowship Fund. OWSD, short for Organization for Women in Science for the Developing World, is a UNESCO program unit. The OWSD scholarship program supports outstanding female scientists to lead research projects and work in the institutes, in which they operate to create centers of international excellence. Similar to Europe, there are also initiatives in Africa that actively seek to include women in various programs and offer them space for political participation.