MSc in Electrical Engineering
Current position: Group Head of Innovation Partnerships, Liquid Telecom Group, South Africa
Research focus: Internet of Things, solar renewable energy
Oswald started working as an Executive Assistant to the CEO of Econet Services International, based in Zimbabwe in 2012, and he was a board member at Muzinda Hub, Zimbabwe from 2014 to 2015. In 2013 Oswald published a book with Dr Sherali Zeadally entitled “Energy Efficiency in Wireless Networks”, which presents state-of-the-art energy-efficient techniques, designs and implementations that pertain to wireless communication networks.
CV as submitted for the Green Talents award (2012):
Stellenbosch University, South Africa
Research focus: design and development of energy efficiency and energy harvesting techniques for embedded wireless communication systems
Oswald Jumira is developing novel ways to power wireless communications devices to improve their function, cost-effectiveness and significantly reduce their environmental impact.
Communicating around the clock and around the globe requires more energy than we might think. According to the SMART 2020 study, carbon emissions from information communications technologies (ICTs) alone are increasing at a rate of 6% per year and could represent 12% of worldwide emissions by 2020.
Oswald Jumira is developing new ways to achieve ecologically sustainable and cost effective communications infrastructure. Jumira focuses on energy harvesting techniques, which allow wireless communication devices to draw the energy they need from the immediate environment. These devices can tap into vibrational energy, thermal energy, outdoor solar energy or indoor lighting for their power needs, and reduce or even eliminate their dependence on batteries.
“In Africa the number of people with cell phones currently exceeds those with access to grid-based electricity and this exponential growth of ICTs is being fed by electricity from highly inefficient legacy power stations,” says Jumira. “We as researchers in the ICT and engineering field have recognized the vital need for new approaches and techniques to begin reducing Africa’s carbon footprint.”
The jury felt that Jumira’s work developing more sustainable and energy efficient ICT systems could bring great ecological and economic benefits, especially to Africa. They were particularly impressed with his breakthroughs in energy efficiency and energy harvesting techniques for embedded wireless communication systems.
