Dr. Farai Matawa

Dr Farai Matawa is the Director of the Environmental Science Institute (ESI). He joined the SIRDC as a Research Scientist in the Geo-Information and Remote Sensing Institute in 2009. He was promoted to Senior Research Scientist in 2012 and Principal Scientist in 2020 before being appointed the ESI Director in 2024, a post he holds to date. Before joining SIRDC, Dr Matawa worked as a high school teacher. Dr Matawa holds a BA Honours degree in Geography, an MA degree in Environmental Policy and Planning and a Doctor of Philosophy Science degree in Spatial Ecology specialising in Geo-spatial Health from the University of Zimbabwe. Dr Matawa possesses skills in Advanced Geographical Information Science (GIS) and Earth Observation (EO), Programming and Strategic Environmental Assessment for Spatial Planning acquired from the Faculty of Geo-Information Science and Earth Observation, University of Twente in the Netherlands. The programme was funded through the Netherlands Fellowship Programme. He has extensive knowledge and experience in GIS, EO, Agent-Based Modelling, Statistical Analysis, Species Distribution Modelling, Environmental Science and Environmental Management and Industrial Environmental Management. He is also knowledgeable about the ‘One Health’ approach involving targeted approaches to vector control and surveillance. Dr Matawa has presented at conferences and published several scientific papers in international peer-reviewed journals, namely Geocarto International; Environmental Nanotechnology, Monitoring and Management; Human Ecology; and Applied Geography. He has a passion for developing, adopting and adapting environmentally friendly technologies that contribute to the sustainable utilisation of natural resources and the protection of the environment.