People
Faculty
Dr. Rhoda Peter Asuquo
Rhoda Peter Asuquo is a young medical doctor currently practising with the Akwa Ibom State Hospitals Management Board. She is the founder of Sickle Cell Warriors’ Care and Healthy Living Foundation, dedicated to improving the quality of life of individuals living with sickle cell disorder through advocacy, support, research, and community engagement. She is deeply passionate about transforming the narrative of public health in Nigeria,hence her pursuit of a Masters degree in public health. Her interests include research, data-driven solutions, the application of artificial intelligence in health, and genomics. Rhoda is research-driven and firmly believes that sustainable advancements in health both in Nigeria and beyond are rooted in robust research, innovation, and evidence-based solutions. An author of health-focused books for children, she is also an advocate and health promoter through her platform, Health with Dr R, where she simplifies health information and promotes preventive care. She currently serves as the Publicity Secretary of the Medical Women’s Association of Nigeria (MWAN), Akwa Ibom State Branch. Beyond medicine and advocacy, Rhoda is a professional MC. She is an alumna of SICSS–Calabar 2023 and the Host of SICSS Nigeria 2026– The Uyo Experience.
Juliet John Inyang
Juliet Inyang is affiliated with the University of Calabar, Nigeria and the University of Auckland, New Zealand. Her research interests are in the areas of work and employment, international marketing, consumer culture, service innovation, process improvement, digital transformations, and sustainable development. Juliet participated in the 2022 SICSS-Paris location and coordinated the SICSS Calabar 2023 and 2024 locations in Nigeria.
Yohanna Joseph Waliya
Yohanna Joseph Waliya is a PhD Scholar at the University of Lagos. He obtained M.A. French Studies (Twitterature;Twitterbot poetry) at the Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, Nigeria. He is a Nigerian digital poet, distant writer, ludokinetic writer, novelist, playwright, python programmer, winner of the Janusz Korczak Prize for Global South 2020, Electronic Literature Organization Research Fellow, UNESCO Janusz Korczak Fellow, Creator & Curator of MAELD and ADELD [2022 Emerging Open Scholarship Award: Honourable mention by The Canadian Social Knowledge Institute (C-SKI)], Executive Director of AELA& ADELI , International Association for Advancement of Artificial Intelligence Conference on Web and Social Media [ICWSM ] Scholar 2021-2022, Scrimba Scholar 2022-2023, and Hastac Scholar 2021-2023. He writes in English and French. Among his works are : La récolte de vie (play), Monde 2.0 (play), Hégémonie Disparue (novel), Quand l’Afrique se lèvera (novel), Homosalus (digital poetry), Momenta (digital poetry), @TinyKorczak (Twitterbot-poetry), Climatophosis (digital poetry: The best use of DH for Fun 2020), Inferno 2.0 (ludokinetic poetry), Ekang etc.. He is also a lecturer at the Nigeria French Language Village, Ajara-Badagry, Lagos. His research interests cover distant writing, distant reading, digital poetry, Metaversal literature, Twitterbot-poetry, Twitterature, Digital Humanities and language discourse, training Artificial Intelligence to speak Nigerian Pidgin English.
Augustine Ogbaji Otobi
Augustine is an Artificial Intelligence Engineer with seasoned research experience gained from the University of Calabar, where he is completing his Ph.D. in Artificial Intelligence. With a B.Sc. and M.Sc. in Computer Science, his work spans cutting-edge AI research, algorithm development and applied machine learning, resulting in publications in top-tier journals and conference presentations. Augustine is featured in the AD Scientific index , he has built a reputation for academic excellence and innovation. Known for his strong team spirit and cross-border research engagements, he actively collaborates with scholars globally, contributing to impactful projects in AI and data science. Passionate about mentorship and education, he is deeply committed to training the next generation of data scientists and AI engineers, helping to shape the future of intelligent systems through collaboration, innovation, and teaching as a university lecturer. Having participated in the 2022 SICSS-Covenant location, Augustine actively contributes to enriching computational social science expertise of Nigerian scholars and researchers who participates in the SICSS Nigeria (Calabar, Uyo) since 2023.
Dr. Uduakobong Otu
Uduakobong Otu, Ph.D is a graduate of Marketing from the prestigious university of Calabar who has traverse the world of data and market dynamics, and has built a career path that is defined by curiosity, precision, and excellence. Specializing in Logistics and Supply Chain Management, he has mastered the art of connecting theory with real-world application ensuring that strategies are not just well-designed, but also efficiently executed. A skilled data analyst and dedicated tutor, Dr. Otu thrives at the intersection of numbers and narratives, transforming raw data into actionable insights that drive smarter decisions. His teaching style blends academic rigor with relatable examples, making complex concepts accessible to learners at all levels. Beyond academia and analytics, he is a goal-oriented researcher and life coach, committed to empowering individuals and organizations to unlock their potential. Whether guiding students, advising businesses, or conducting research, Dr. Otu approaches every challenge with the same unwavering principle: excellence is not an act, but a habit.
Prof. Timothy A. Ekwere
Prof. Timothy A. Ekwere is a Professor of Haematology at the University of Uyo/University of Uyo Teaching Hospital, Nigeria. He is a Clinician-Scientist with established expertise in Thrombosis and Haemostasis, Haemoglobinopathies, and Haemato-Oncology. His work integrates clinical care, public health and translational research to advance evidence-based management of blood disorders, particularly in resource-limited settings. He holds the MBBCh, MSc (Public Health) and PhD in Haematology, and has published widely in local and international peer-reviewed journals.
Prof. Tunde Ope-Davies
Professor Tunde Ope-Davies stands as a pioneering figure in African digital humanities scholarship. As Founder-Director of the Centre for Digital Humanities at the University of Lagos; the first such centre in Africa. He has established crucial infrastructure for computational approaches to humanities research on the continent. His scholarly expertise spans corpus linguistics, discourse analysis, applied linguistics, digital culture, and decolonial digital humanities methodologies. Professor Ope-Davies brings particular focus to African discourse studies and humanities scholarship by examining political, health and environmental discursive practices through digital lenses. His work consistently explores the intersection of materiality and digitality in African contexts, investigating how digital technologies can transform humanities data, preserve and amplify indigenous knowledge systems. Beyond academia, Professor Ope-Davies has demonstrated significant leadership in public service, having served six years as Senior Special Assistant to both the Governor and Deputy Governor of Lagos State (2007-2013). He also contributed governance expertise through two terms on the Governing Council of Anchor University, Lagos (2017-2025). His international recognition includes prestigious fellowships: the Alexander von Humboldt Fellowship in Germany and a Commonwealth Fellowship at the University of Westminster, reflecting the global significance of his research contributions. Professor Ope-Davies recently celebrated a major academic milestone, the public launch of seven scholarly volumes including the first full length book on Digital Humanities from Africa titled: “Digital Humanities: Basic Approaches to Principles, Perspectives and Practices”, at the University of Lagos in November 2025. He brings into any project, years of illustrious service, expertise and experience in managing international grants and organizing highly impact and productive scholarly events.
Speakers
Moses Udoisoh PhD
Moses Udoisoh PhD is a seasoned Physicist and Thermofluids Engineer trained in Nigeria and Australia. He holds degrees in Mechanical Engineering, Electrical/Electronics Engineering and Physics. He is fast becoming the first Researcher in Molecular and Medicinal Biophysics in the Nigerian state. He recently led a team of Scientist to discover the Stokes-Induced Stark Effect (SISE), as a potential solution for several interfacial interaction issues like Chronic diabetic foot ulcers. As a Scientist with theoretical and computational approaches, he applies the concepts of Quantum and Molecular Mechanics to physical problems in biological spaces.
He is the Author of Fundamentals of University Physics and the Lead Scientist at Gamma Data Analytics and Computation.
J. Nathan Matias
Dr. J. Nathan Matias is a computer scientist and social scientist who organizes citizen behavioral science for a safer, fairer, more understanding Internet. A Guatemalan-American, Nathan is founder of the Citizens and Technology Lab, an assistant professor in the Cornell University Department of Communication, and field member in Information Science.
Nathan is founder of the Citizens and Technology Lab, a public-interest research group at Cornell that organizes citizen behavioral science and behavioral consumer protection research for digital life. CAT Lab has worked with communities of tens of millions of people on reddit, Wikipedia, and Twitter to test ideas for preventing harassment, broadening gender diversity on social media, responding to human/algorithmic misinformation, managing political conflict, and auditing social technologies.
Nathan is also a pioneer in industry-independent evaluations on the impact of social technologies and artificial intelligence in society. Toward this end, he co-founded the Coalition for Independent Technology Research, a nonprofit that supports and defends independent research on technology and society.
Dr. Akaninyene Mark , (MBBch, MPH, SRF, FWACP, PhD)
Dr. Akaninyene Mark , (MBBch, MPH, SRF, FWACP, PhD) is an outstanding Consultant Physician in Public Health, Planning Research, Statistics and Community Medicine. He is an Associate Fellow National Postgraduates Medical College. Dr. Mark is a distinguished scholar, researcher, and mentor, serving in various capacities including Senior Research Fellow and Director/Dean of the Afromed Academy of Medical Research, ICT and Innovation, Zambia. He is the Editor-in-Chief of the Frontline Professionals Journal (FPJ); and associate Fellow/ Reviewer Science Publishing group, Visiting Adjunct Senior Consultant at Somacas Medical Center, Ghana.
He is academic giant and thorough-bred mentor, he has supervised and continues to inspire postgraduate in Nigeria and Master’s students across Nigeria and Africa.
His dedication to health planning, research, ethics, and community medicine has left indelible marks on the practice of medicine and beyond.
He is currently the Deputy Director Health Planning Research and Statistics in the Akwa ibom state Ministry of Health Uyo and a consultant par excellence.
George Odo
George is a computer science graduate of the University of Calabar. He is a web and Machine Learning model developer, verse in programming languages such as Python, R, React, React Native, TypeScript, and JavaScript.
George has been able to gather wealth of experiences as a full stack web developer and data scientist at Zoe-Sprout Technologies International. He is particularly drawn to the power of data science, and he enjoys exploring how data can be leveraged to drive innovation and solve complex problems. As he continues to grow in the field of computer science, he is eager to apply his skills in real-world projects, where he can share his knowledge with others while continuing to learn and improve.
He enjoys collaborating with teams to build innovative solutions and create impactful digital experiences
