African Center of Excellence in Energy for Sustainable Development, and the Grid Innovation and Incubation Hub at the University of Rwanda: Current Projects and Prospects for the Future

Jean de Dieu Hakizimana, Ph.D., African Centre of Excellence in Energy for Sustainable Development, College of Science and Technology, University of Rwanda

Co-sponsored by the Atlanta Global Studies Center, a partnership of Georgia Institute of Technology and Georgia State University.

November 9, 2023, 3 - 4 PM ET
Hybrid Event - Teams Link
BBISS Offices, 760 Spring Street, Suite 118
Refreshments will be served.

Description: The African Centre of Excellence in Energy for Sustainable Development (ACE-ESD) is one of 24 African Centers of Excellence under the World Bank’s Eastern and Southern Africa Higher Education Centers of Excellence Project (ACE II) which aims to produce highly qualified researchers in different disciplines of STEM. ACE-ESD was created with the objective to become a world-class regional hub for research and training for African engineers, researchers, policy makers, and energy utility managers. The center trains Masters and Ph.D. students in Renewable Energy, Electrical Power Systems, and Energy Economics. The center established the Grid Innovation and Incubation Hub (GIIH), which is a research, innovation and entrepreneurship initiative. GIIH has objective to create a bridge between the university and industry. The center nurtures and promotes entrepreneurship development in the energy sector towards sustainable development. The talk will provide an overview of ACE-ESD and GIIH current projects and prospects for the future.

Bio: Dr. Jean de Dieu Hakizimana has held positions in academia, government, and private institutions for more than 16 years. He has worked for RIEPA/RDB (Rwanda Investment and Export Promotion Agency/ Rwanda Development Board), PSF (Rwanda Private Sector Federation), MININFRA (Rwanda Ministry of Infrastructure), KIER (Korea Institute of Energy Research). Since November, 2017, Dr. Hakizimana has been with the University of Rwanda (UR) as a part-time lecturer. In April 2018, he was appointed to be an Associate Researcher at the College of Science and Technology with primary area of focus of heading the Ph.D. program and research at the African Centre of Excellence in Energy for Sustainable Development (ACE-ESD). In September 2020, Dr. Hakizimana was appointed to be a lecturer in the department of Mechanical and Energy Engineering. Dr. Hakizimana has developed his academic career on a strong foundation of promoting and facilitating leading-edge research, including collaborative and interdisciplinary research, and providing support for a community of creative researchers to enhance research capacity and increasing internal and external research opportunities for post-graduate students. His focus has been to develop mutual beneficial linkages with industry to develop partnership and collaborative research.