Dr. Tabitha Naisiko

Dr. Tabitha Naisiko is the new Acting Dean of the School of Graduate Studies at Uganda Technology and Management University. She has a multidisciplinary background, having completed a BA in Social Work and Social Administration at Makerere University, an MA in Applied Ethics at the Katholieke Universiteit Leuven in Belgium, an MA in Online and Distance Education at the Open University in the UK, and a PhD in Development Studies at Uganda Martyrs University. She has also completed a postgraduate certificate in African Studies at Tangaza University in Kenya. She has trained in multiple short courses on research management at Organisation for Social Science Research in Eastern Africa (OSSREA) in Ethiopia, Council for the Development of Social Science Research in Africa (CODESRIA) in Senegal, French Research Institute of East Africa Nairobi Kenya, Centre for Studies in Social Sciences Hyderabad in India, and Centre for Religion and Cross-Cultural Studies in Yogyakarta in Indonesia.

She has over 20 years’ experience in university-level teaching, multidisciplinary research, publishing, administration and community service. She has worked as a research fellow at the Käte Hamburger Research Centre for Cultural Reparation at Saarland University in Germany. She also worked as a research fellow at the Nordic Africa Institute in Uppsala, Sweden. Previously, she was a lecturer in the Department of Development Studies at Makerere University, at the Philosophy Centre at Queen of Apostles in Jinja, and at Uganda Martyrs University.  She worked as a Research Officer at the Cultural Research Centre in Jinja. From 2003 to 2011, she worked as Research Coordinator at Uganda Martyrs University. From 2009 to 2011, she was a researcher on the ‘Promoting Pluralism Knowledge Programme: Valuing and Managing Pluralism’, a tri-continental project that concurrently worked in the Netherlands, Uganda and Indonesia. Since 2014 to 2024, she was a faculty member on the Young Leadership Forum training organised and sponsored by the Fredrich Egbert Stiftung Foundation.

Based on the above training, experience and exposure, Dr. Naisiko is well-placed to provide strategic academic leadership at UTAMU. As the Acting Dean, Dr Naisiko aims to provide strategic academic leadership that strengthens UTAMU’s commitment to advanced scholarship, research excellence and professional development. With her broad interdisciplinary background and experience in research design, postgraduate training and institutional development, she is dedicated to building a vibrant, innovative and internationally competitive graduate school that will elevate the quality, relevance and global visibility of UTAMU’s postgraduate education. The focus will be on; a) enhancing the academic experience and support systems for graduate students, b) strengthening the research capacity and culture, c) expanding postgraduate programmes and interdisciplinary opportunities, d) fostering international and strategic partnerships, e) enhancing research output, visibility and knowledge exchange, and e) leveraging technology and digital transformation.

Email: tnaisiko@utamu.ac.ug