Maximus Byamukama holds a Master’s degree in Computer Engineering from the University of Nottingham and a Bachelors in Electrical Engineering from Makerere University.

He lectures at Makerere University having previously worked at the Centre for Research in Energy and Energy Conservation and Uganda Industrial Research Institute. “In my free time, you will probably find me watching the latest TV series, movies, trying out a new recipe in my kitchen or pruning the katunkuma shrub behind my house”, he says.

Byamukama has always wanted to do a PhD in Embedded Systems, his area of interest. However, most of the funding that he came across was purely ICT-related or required him to leave his family behind for a couple of years, which he didn’t want to do.

The WIMEA-ICT project was spot-on. It is a multidisciplinary research project with a focus on an area of great interest to the recipient. “Besides, I get to be supervised by the best lecturers in this field”, he says. Byamukama’s research focus will be Embedded Systems and their Applications. “I shall mainly seek to densify Automated Weather Stations in Uganda.

There are a lot of problems with the current systems run by Uganda National Meteorological Authority and its partners. I shall work on the sensor design, microprocessor selection and then write algorithms to enable implementation of a number of activities like power management, remote commands etc”, he says. What does he hope to achieve at the end of his studies?

Byamukama says he hopes to create a system of working weather stations that can help meteorologists make accurate weather predictions. “It feels good knowing that you have done your part in transforming your nation,” he says.