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Cecilia is a lecturer at the Nelson Mandela African Institution of Science and Technology (NM-AIST), where she teaches materials science courses. Her research interests lie in industrial cleaner production technologies, particularly in the development of innovative, eco-friendly chemicals for industrial processing. She has over nine years of experience in industrial research and development, and has dedeveloped a cost-effective method for preparing organic tanning chemicals. This technology has been successfully transferred to 15 SMEs in Kilimanjaro, Tanzania. She has also invented an improved tannin extraction apparatus and a method for extracting tannin. Her innovative work earned her the Best Innovation Award at the National Innovation Week 2020.
She is also a 2024 OWSD early career fellow, leading a project on valorizing cashew nut shells and banana stems through the production of tannins for use in leather processing. She holds a Ph.D. in materials science and engineering, a master’s degree in environmental science and engineering, both from NM-AIST, and a bachelor of science degree in education from Sokoine University of Agriculture (SUA). She has published 14 articles and presented her research at both local and international conferences.
