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She holds a Doctorate Degree in Fluid Mechanics from the Technical University of Berlin (TUB, January 1986), Germany, an equalisation to a German Master’s degree in Physics (October 1982) from TUB, a master’s degree in Mathematics (1979 – graduation 1981) from the University of Dar es Salaam (UDSM) and a Bachelor of Science degree (1976) from UDSM majoring in mathematics and physics with minor subjects of social statistics and political economy.

Professor Verdiana Masanja is employed as an academic faculty for over 44 years from Tutorial Assistant in April 1976 at UDSM. She has been at a professorial rank for 20 years since July 2000 as associate professor and 14 years as full professor since March 2006. Before joining NM-AIST, she worked on full-time basis in Universities in Tanzania (34 years at UDSM- 4 of which she was on leave of absence) and in 12 years in Rwanda (University of Rwanda (and its predecessors – Kigali Institute of Science and Technology (KIST), National University of Rwanda (NUR)) and the University of Kibungo). She has also taught as part-time lecturer/ visiting professor in Tanzania, Finland, Kenya, Uganda, and in Collaborative International Programmes.

Courses she taught at bachelor degree level span the entire spectrum from pure mathematics, applied mathematics, mathematical statistics, and higher level programming languages to Engineering Mathematics and mathematics for business and science students. Masters and PhD level courses include: Scientific Computing, Fluid Mechanics, Continuum Mechanics; Numerical Linear Algebra; Numerical Analysis/ Methods; Ordinary and Partial Differential Equations; and Deterministic modelling of physical, engineering and biological processes. She has supervised to completion 17 masters and PhD students and she is currently (2020) supervising 7 PhD and 6 Masters Students. She also has been external examiner for BSc, MSc and PhD examinations in the areas of Mathematics, Statistics, and Computer Science in 9 African Universities in Kenya, Uganda, Malawi, Zimbabwe, and Tanzania; and examiner of PhD Dissertations/ Theses in the Netherlands, India, Zimbabwe, Kenya and Uganda. She has participated in accreditation processes of Universities and Academic Programmes in the capacity of an Institutional Auditor (even chairperson of the teams), and subject reviewer in Tanzania (1995 – 2000) and in Rwanda (2007 – 2017).

Her current research areas include Mathematical/ statistical modelling of: Blood flow in stenosed arteries; Drug distribution within the brain; social capital networks, transmission dynamics and control of diseases in livestock and plants; magneto-hydrodynamics flow of nanofluids; pollution in water surfaces (including groundwater aquifers); and clean water and wastewater distribution networks. She currently has 128 publications in Mathematics research, Gender and STEM/ STI research, Education research, and high level consultancies. Of these publications, 84 are peer reviewed. She has attended 74 International Conferences, presented in 46 and was Keynote/ plenary speaker in 27 at prestigious international conferences. A list of her publications in the past five years (2013 – June 2020) is attached.

Professor Verdiana Masanja has been in University management for nearly 26 years since July 1994 without interruption until October 2017, of these, nearly 14 years are in leadership at the level of Director with the portfolio of postgraduate studies, research, innovation and consultancy and Deputy Vice Chancellor with the portfolio of strategic development, research, and innovation. Through these leadership positions she has gained vast experience with Higher Education leadership in postgraduate training, research, innovation, technology transfer, strategic planning, budgeting & financial management, change management, academic collaborations, training and capacity building, resources mobilisation, collegial shared governance, academic and research quality assurance, and Monitoring and evaluation of all spheres of university core business. Since 1995 till 2015, she has initiated collaborative projects which have attracted more than 70 million USD to support research, postgraduate programmes, staff development and institutional advancement. Since 1991, she has managed funds for projects/ programmes totalling USD 9,338,653.10. I am currently the Deputy Incubation Centre Leader (co-PI) of the NM-AIST/ CREATES Data Driven Innovation for Food and Nutrition Security Incubation Center,

She is involved in journal editorial works as follows: (i) Journals indexed by Scopus and Web of Science: Principal Editor Materials Research Society (MRS) Advances (USA) for publications of the 2019 African Materials Society Research (AMRS) Conferences; Area Editor for the European Alliance for Innovation Network (EAI) Transactions on Journal Cloud Systems; member of the Editorial board of the International Journal of Applications and Applied Mathematics (AAM) (USA). (ii) Other journals: Guest Editor-in-chief (2010-2012): International Journal of Mathematics and Computations (IJMC); and International Journal of Ecology & Development (IJED); as of 2009 member of the advisory board of the Egerton Journal of Science and Technology, Egerton University, Kenya; Chief Editor (2008-2015), Rwanda Journals (formerly Etudes Rwandaises); 2005-now (?): Honorary advisor of the East African Journal of Statistics (EAJS) since 2005; Mathematics subject editor and Eastern and Central Africa editor of the African Journal of Science and Technology (AJST) since 2001; and Guest editor (1999-2001), International Journal of Management Sciences (IJOMAS).

In recognition of her outstanding achievement, in December 2019 she received the Next Einstein Forum (NEF) Sage Women in STEM award in recognition of her contribution in the field of Mathematics in Africa; in 2016 she received the Eastern Africa Universities Mathematics Programme (EAUMP) Dedicated Services Award in recognition of her immerse efforts towards improving the state of mathematics in EAUMP countries (Kenya, Tanzania, Rwanda, Uganda, Zambia and Sweden) since 2002 when the EAUMP was launched. In 2011 she received the UDSM Golden Outstanding Award in recognition of her contribution to the Teaching and Learning of Mathematics in Tanzania.

Professor Masanja, has played a big role in governmental and professional organisations. Since 1991, she has continuously been involved in about 30 various national and international level boards and committees of ministerial and government agencies, and professional bodies. Just to mention a few: (i) executive committee member of four people of the Tanzania Commission for Science and Technology (COSTECH), member of its governing board, and member and Chairperson of its R&D Advisory Committee on Basic Sciences. (ii) Tanzania Ministry of Education: Basic Education Development Committee (BEDC) Task Force; Quality Improvement Technical Working Group of BEDC; Technical Committee for Education Statistics Capacity Building (TCESCB); and Chairperson and member, Mathematics Panel of the Tanzania Institute of Education (the panel is responsible for all the mathematics curricula at primary, Secondary and pre-University Teacher Training levels). (iii) Professional/ Scientific/ gender bodies: member, Advisory Board of the STEM and Gender Advancement (a UNESCO project); Vice President, Africa Mathematical Union (AMU) responsible for 17 countries of the Eastern Africa Region and Chairperson and secretary of the AMU Commission for Women Mathematicians; executive committee member and secretary of the Southern Africa Mathematical Sciences Association (SAMSA) operating in SADC countries plus Kenya and Uganda; Editor, treasurer and Chairperson of the Mathematical Association of Tanzania (MAT). Since 1992 till now, she has been a member and or leader in various education, gender, and women civil society organisation, e.g. (i) the Organization for Women in Science for the Developing World (OWSD) and OWSD Tanzania Chapter; (ii) Rwanda Association of Women (RAUW) and RAUW Research Coordinator; (iii) Chairperson, Tanzania Education Network (TEN/MET); (iv) Chairperson and Treasurer Forum for Africa Women Educationalists (FAWE) Tanzania chapter; (v) President and secretary Tanzania Association for Women Professionals in Science and Technology (TAWOSTE); and (vi) the Third World Organisation for Women in Science (TWOWS).

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