CLEMENT NTHAMBAZALE NYIRENDA

DEPARTMENT OF ELECTRICAL ENGINEERING,

THE POLYTECHNIC, UNIVERSITY OF MALAWI,

PRIVATE BAG 303, CHICHIRI.

BLANTYRE 3. MALAWI

PH: +265 992 9446

EMAIL: nyirendac@gmail.com

URL: http://nthambazale.blogspot.com

________________________________________________________________________

OBJECTIVE:

To become a world class researcher, consultant and technologist in Computational Intelligence and its applications in Communication Engineering.

EDUCATION:

MScEng in Computer Engineering (Cum Laude) - University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, South Africa, April 2007.

Dissertation Title: A Multi-objective Particle Swarm Optimized Fuzzy Logic Congestion Detection and Dual Explicit Notification Mechanism for IP Networks.

This is 100% research degree. Key areas of study include Fuzzy Logic Theory, Swarm Intelligence, Evolutionary Multi-objective Optimization (EMOO), TCP/IP Protocol Suite, Active Queue Management, Programming (C/C++, NS-2, AWK, Matlab)

BSc in Electrical Engineering (Credit) – The Polytechnic, University of Malawi, April 2000.

Final Project: A PC based Proportional Integral Derivative (PID) Temperature Controller

Key courses of study include Microprocessor Design and Applications, Telecommunication Engineering, Analogue Electronics, Data Structures and Algorithms in C/C++, Control Systems, Computer Applications using Matlab, Mathsoft, PSpice, Electrical Power and Machines, Mathematics, Industrial Engineering.

Diploma in Electrical Engineering (Distinction) – The Polytechnic, University of Malawi, February 1998.

Project: A Photosensitive Light Switching System

Key courses of study include Digital Electronics, Telecommunication Engineering, Analogue Electronics, Introduction to Computer Programming, Control Systems, Electrical Power and Machines, Electric Circuits and Fields, Electrical Measurement and Instrumentation, Mathematics, Applied Mechanics, Workshop Practice.

WORK EXPERIENCE:

April 2004 to Date: Lecturer in Electronics and Computer Engineering at the University of Malawi-The Polytechnic.

• Teaching Digital Electronics, Microprocessors and Digital Control Systems

September 2002 to April 2007: Assistant Lecturer in Electronics and Computer Engineering at the University of Malawi-The Polytechnic. From August 2004 to July 2006, I was on study leave. I was at the University of KwaZulu-Natal pursuing my MScEng in Computer Engineering

September 2000- September 2002: Staff Associate in Electronics and Computer Engineering at the Polytechnic, University of Malawi.

As a Staff Associate/ Assistant Lecturer at the University of Malawi-The Polytechnic, my work included the following:

· Teaching Electronics, Computer Architecture, Networking and

Programming in C/C++ and Matlab.

· Co-supervision of student projects in Electronics and Computer

Engineering

· Supervision of City and Guilds courses in Electronics and

Telecommunication Engineering

• Lecturing in Enterprise networking, Internet Security and Website development at the National College of Information Technology on part-time basis.

October 2006 to April 2007: Research Intern at the Meraka Institute, Centre for Scientific and Industrial Research, Pretoria, South Africa. Carried out a survey on Computational Intelligence based routing protocols for Wireless Mesh Networks (WMNs).

February 2006 to May 2006: Practical demonstrator for an undergraduate course in Digital Systems at the University of KwaZulu-Natal.

February 2005 to May 2005: Practical demonstrator for an undergraduate course in Digital Systems at the University of KwaZulu-Natal.

February 2001- July 2004: Worked as a local CCNA academy instructor at the University of Malawi-The Polytechnic (Cisco Networking Academy). My work included the following:

· Training University students and people from industry in the CCNA curriculum.

• Consultancy work in Computer network design, installation, configuration and web development

· System administration in UNIX and Windows NT.

AWARDS HONORS AND GRANTS RECEIVED:

November 2007 – Biographical profile to be published in the Silver Edition of the Marquis Who’s Who in the World (2008).

May 2006 – IEEE Computational Intelligence Society Student Travel Grant, in recognition of "Multi-objective Particle Swarm Optimization for Fuzzy Logic Based Active Queue Management", In Proceedings of the IEEE World Congress on Computational Intelligence (WCCI 2006 16-21 July 2006, Vancouver, Canada).

May 2006 – Academic Travel and Conference Funding, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Centre of Excellence in Radio Access and Rural Technologies.

August 2004 to July 2006: The UNESCO African Network for Scientific and Technological Institutions (ANSTI)/Dutch Fellowship for my postgraduate studies in MScEng (Computer Engineering) at the University of KwaZulu-Natal.

August 2004 to July 2006: The University of KwaZulu-Natal Graduate Assistantship Funds.

1999 Stansfield Motors Award for top of the class performance.

1999 Mobil Award for top of the class performance.

1998 Mobil Award for top of the class performance.

1998 National Bank of Malawi Award for best student in the Faculty of Engineering.

1996 Japanese Africa Friendship Funds Scholarship - for best student in the Electrical Engineering Department.

1993 Mathematics Olympiad Finalist Certificate for emerging as one of the best young Malawian mathematicians.

PROFESSIONAL TRAINING:

July 2004: University of Malawi-The Polytechnic

· Trained as a Cisco Networking CCNA Instructor by studying all the four CCNA 2.1.4 Semesters. Trained in IT Essentials under the Cisco Networking curriculum

· Trained in Research methodology, Report writing, Publications and Presentations.

July 2004-September 2004: Port Elizabeth Technikon (South Africa)

and Cisco systems (San Jose, California).

· Completed remote training in CCNA Bridge courses to CCNA 3.0 (CCNA certification is still pending)

RESPONSIBILITIES HELD:

September 2000 to July 2004: University of Malawi-The Polytechnic

• Patron for the Youth Initiative for ICT and related developments.

Work included ICT awareness campaigns in Secondary schools

• Member of the University of Malawi-The Polytechnic Tender board
• Member of the IT Subcommittee at the University of Malawi-

Polytechnic.

• Coordinator for Electronics and Telecommunications City and

Guilds courses.

TECHNICAL SKILLS:

• Extensive programming experience in C/C++, x86 Assembly Language, Matlab, Awk; also familiar with Java, Visual Basic and HTML.
• Extensive experience in Network simulation using Network Simulator (NS-2).
• Well conversant with Windows and Linux Operating Systems.
• Software Design using object-oriented principles
• Team management skills including interviewing and hiring, motivation, mentoring, team building and performance evaluation
• PC hardware skills including PC assembly, troubleshooting, and an intimate knowledge of PC hardware components

RESEARCH SKILLS:

• Ability to discover exciting research topics with real world applications.
• Well educated in implementing experiments and analyzing results
• Strong technical writing skills for various media: theses, papers, oral presentations, posters et cetera.
• Ability to write strong scholarship proposals which can be readily transferred into writing proposals for research grants.

PUBLICATIONS:

Refereed Journal Papers

[1] C.N. Nyirenda, D.S. Dawoud, “Self-Organization in a Particle Swarm Optimized Fuzzy Logic Congestion Detection Mechanism for IP Networks”, Submitted to Scientia Iranica, International Journal of science and Technology, 24 pages.

Refereed Conference Papers

[1] C.N. Nyirenda, D.S. Dawoud, “Performance Evaluation of the Swarm Optimized Fuzzy Logic Congestion Detection Mechanism in Proportional Differentiated Services IP Networks”, In Proceedings of the Southern African Telecommunications Networks and Applications Conference (SATNAC 2006), ISBN: 0-620-37042-4, Cape Town, South Africa, Pages: 215 - 220, 3-6 September 2006.

[2] C.N. Nyirenda, D.S. Dawoud, “Multi-objective Particle Swarm Optimization for Fuzzy Logic Based Active Queue Management”, In Proceedings of the 15th IEEE International Conference in Fuzzy Systems as part of the Fourth IEEE World Congress on Computational Intelligence (IEEE WCCI 2006), Vancouver, BC, Canada, pages: 2231 - 2238, 16-21 July 2006.

[3] C.N. Nyirenda, “Fuzzy Logic Congestion Control for TCP/IP Networks: A Dual Explicit Notification Mechanism,” Southern African Telecommunications Networks and Applications Conference (SATNAC) 2005 proceedings, ISBN: 0-620-34907-7, Champagne Sports, Drakensberg, South Africa, pages: 419 - 424, 11-14 September 2005.

[4] C.N. Nyirenda, D.S. Dawoud, “A Fuzzy Logic Based Dual Explicit Congestion Control Mechanism for Satellite TCP/IP Networks”, In proceedings of the IEEE Eurocon 2007, Warsaw, Poland, 7-9 September 2007.

[5] C.N. Nyirenda, D.S. Dawoud, “Fuzzy Logic Congestion Control in IEEE 802.11 Wireless Local Area Networks: A Performance Evaluation”, In proceedings of the IEEE AFRICON 2007, Namibia, South Africa, 26-29 September 2007.

Theses

[1] C.N. Nyirenda, “A Multi-objective Particle Swarm Optimized Fuzzy Logic Congestion Detection and Dual Explicit Notification Mechanism for IP Networks”, MScEng Thesis, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, South Africa, September 2006.

PROFESSIONAL ACTIVITIES:

Student Member of the IEEE (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers). Within IEEE, I am an active member of the following societies:

· Computational Intelligence Society

· Communication Society

· Computer Society

· Systems, Man and Cybernetics Society

Co-Chairperson for the Communications and Signal Processing session at the IEEE Africon Conference, Windhoek, Namibia, 26-29 September 2007.

Reviewer duties for the following conferences:

· The Fourth International Symposium on Neural Networks (ISNN 2007), Nanjing, China, 3-7 June 2007.

· The IEEE Africon Conference, Windhoek, Namibia, 26-29 September 2007.

RESEARCH INTERESTS:

• Various paradigms of Computational Intelligence (Artificial Neural networks, Fuzzy Logic, Evolutionary Computing, Swarm Intelligence) and their application in Communication Networks and dynamic environments.
• Evolvable Hardware Systems, Reconfigurable Hardware – Field Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGAs).
• High Performance Computing.

REFERENCES:

WILL BE AVAILABLE UPON REQUEST