June Lukuyu Accepts Position at University of Washington
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June Lukuyu, a doctoral student in the lab of Assistant Professor Jay Taneja of the Electrical and Computer Engineering (ECE) Department, has accepted a position as a tenure-track assistant professor in the Electrical and Computer Engineering Department at the University of Washington. She will fill this position after completing her UMass Amherst doctorate degree in January of 2023.
Lukuyu is an Energy for Growth Hub Fellow, researcher, and doctoral candidate in Taneja’s Systems Towards Infrastructure and Monitoring Analysis (STIMA) Lab. The lab studies the application of computing tools to measuring and managing infrastructure in industrialized and developing regions, including energy and building systems, but also transportation, water, and sanitation systems.
Lukuyu’s research focus in the STIMA Lab is data analytics and energy system modeling, specializing in sub-Saharan Africa. Lukuyu already has 15 peer-reviewed journal articles, journal articles under review, conference proceedings, and conference and workshop presentations related to her research.
Her current research concentrates on designing and evaluating technology driven strategies that enable socio-economic development in underserved regions through stimulating affordable, reliable, and climate-aware electricity use while considering the opportunities and challenges of electricity systems.
Among other research activities, Lukuyu has applied remote sensing and machine learning for electricity planning in Ethiopia, explored the opportunities and challenges for electrifying transportation in Kenya, and studied the electrification of fishing boats on Lake Victoria in Uganda.
Prior to starting her Ph.D., Lukuyu was an engineer at Aspen Technology in Bedford, Massachusetts, while developing design-based cost estimation models for power distribution systems. In addition, Lukuyu interned at the Kenya Electricity Generating Company in Nairobi, where she reviewed construction drawings for a step-up substation at the Ngong wind farm, recommended modifications, and performed other duties.
Lukuyu also worked at RMI, a nonprofit agency working toward a zero-carbon future by decarbonizing energy systems, as an Africa Energy Program summer intern. There she developed a excel-based, productive-use, credit-assessment toolkit to assist microfinance institutions in Ethiopia to assess loan requests for agricultural productive use equipment purchases in rural areas.
Lukuyu holds an M.S. degree in Renewable Energy Systems Technology from Loughborough University in the United Kingdom and a B.S. degree in Engineering Science from Smith College. (July 2022)