Dalhousie Computer Science professor Dr. Rita Orji has been appointed a Fellow of the prestigious African Academy of Sciences (AAS), an outstanding achievement for someone who entered the field of computer science without ever owning a computer.
The fellowship recognizes scientists and researchers at the top of their field. Appointments are based on Fellows’ achievements, such as their publication record, innovations, leadership roles, and positive contributions to society.
Dr. Orji’s work centres on using technology to improve mental and physical wellbeing, especially for those from vulnerable or underrepresented groups, making her well-suited to the fellowship role.
Her Persuasive Computing Lab in Dalhousie’s Faculty of Computer Science has consistently prioritized African perspectives in technological development, especially those developments that target African populations. This key objective dovetails nicely with Nairobi, Kenya-based AAS’s vision to see lives transformed in Africa through science.
Technology must be designed with and for the communities it serves, never imposed upon them.
“This fellowship affirms something I've long believed, which is that Africa must lead in creating its own technological future,” says Dr. Orji. “Throughout my career, I've championed the perspective that technology must be designed with and for the communities it serves, never imposed upon them.”
Dr. Orji is one of 16 women among the 70 new Fellows and one of only two women in the category of engineering, technology, and applied sciences.
Driving real change in Africa
Dr. Orji says the Fellowship will also accelerate the lab’s impact by connecting its research team directly with experts, policymakers, and research institutions across the African continent.
“The AAS’s role in shaping continental science, technology, and innovation strategies positions our research on responsible AI and persuasive technology to directly influence policy decisions affecting millions of Africans,” Dr. Orji says. “This means our work can move from academic research to actionable policy that drives real change in Africa.”
Dr. Orji’s has emerged as a leading researcher in the field of persuasive and behaviour change systems over the past decade. She and her team investigate user-centred approaches to designing interactive technologies such as apps or AI interventions to assist people in making healthful decisions that benefit them and their communities.
This can include everything from promoting mental wellness, discouraging risky behaviour, prioritizing environmental sustainability, and adaptive and intelligent systems for social and community good. They also focus on how technologies can be designed for underserved populations. [MR1]
“My work has always been about real-world impact, and now we have a direct line to decision-makers across 55 African countries,” she says. “When we demonstrate how persuasive technology and responsible AI can improve maternal health outcomes or increase digital literacy, it won't just be another research paper. It can become policy.”
‘There’s work to do’
Ever solutions-oriented, Dr. Orji sees this as an exciting challenge. She says she will use her new platform to advocate for and actively create change. Over the coming years, she plans to identify, mentor, and nominate brilliant African women scientists who will balance the ratio.
“This Fellowship is a beginning, not an end,” she says. “It's an opportunity to ensure that, as Africa leaps forward technologically, it does so on its own terms, with its own values, creating solutions the world hasn't yet imagined.”