Eric Hitimana

"Dr. Eric Hitimana is a Lecturer in Computer and Software Engineering at the University of Rwanda (UR) and a researcher with expertise in Embedded Computing Systems, Internet of Things (IoT), Machine Learning (ML), and Artificial Intelligence (AI). He has been serving at the University of Rwanda since 2011, contributing to teaching, research, supervision, and applied innovation. Dr. Hitimana received his Ph.D. in Embedded Computing Systems from the African Centre of Excellence in the Internet of Things (ACEIoT), College of Science and Technology, University of Rwanda, in 2023 (2017–2023). He earned a master’s degree in computer engineering from Chonbuk National University, Jeonju, South Korea, in 2014, and a bachelor’s degree in computer engineering and information technology from the University of Rwanda, College of Science and Technology (formerly KIST) in 2010 (2006-2010). His research focuses on the design and deployment of intelligent, data-driven systems integrating IoT, ML, and AI for real-world applications, particularly in smart agriculture, eHealth, renewable energy, climate adaptation, and intelligent monitoring systems. He has played a key role in the development of several national ICT solutions in Rwanda, including the Kinyarwanda-to-Kinyarwanda Digital Dictionary (RALC/RARC & CNRU), the Service Delivery System Competition Platform (RGB & UNDP), and the Patient Trajectory Module for district hospitals under the VLIR-UOS collaboration between the University of Rwanda and Ghent University, Belgium. Dr. Hitimana has actively contributed to scientific grant-funded research projects in collaboration with national and international partners, including UR–Boston College on the digitalization of household-level health interventions, UR–REMA on IoT-based ecosystem adaptation monitoring, and UR–SIDA on machine learning-driven coffee leaf disease detection, among other multidisciplinary initiatives. He has published and co-authored over twenty peer-reviewed articles in reputable international journals, conferences, and book chapters, including Future Internet, Sensors, Technologies, Energies, Agriculture, Software, and JMIR Research Protocols. His work emphasizes context-aware, scalable, and sustainable computing solutions tailored to developing-country environments. Dr. Hitimana’s research interests include IoT and Embedded Systems, Machine Learning and Artificial Intelligence, Edge and Cloud Computing, Intelligent Systems, Image Processing and Computer Vision, Software Applications, and data-driven decision-support systems. He continues to engage in collaborative research, postgraduate supervision, and innovation-driven projects aligned with Rwanda’s digital transformation and sustainable development goals."