Research Conference

In Honor of a scholar: Bugema University to host the Dr. Eria Muwanguzi Research Conference

Bugema University, in collaboration with St. Peter’s University, will host the Dr. Eria Muwanguzi Research Conference from 30th August to 1st September 2026 at the Bugema University main campus. Running under the theme “Advancing Higher Education Research and Innovation in the Digital Age,” the conference will bring together scholars, researchers, and academics to share ideas and best practices that are shaping higher education in an increasingly digital world.

The conference is named after the late Dr. Eria Muwanguzi, a familiar face at Bugema University, where he served as a lecturer and Director of Research. He also served as Deputy Vice Chancellor of St. Peter’s University. Colleagues remember him as a dedicated scholar, researcher, and mentor whose passion for research left a lasting mark on the institutions he served. His passing was deeply felt within the academic community, and this conference has been organized in his honor as a fitting tribute to a man who spent his life pushing others toward deeper scholarship. Accepted and presented papers will be considered for publication in Bugema University journals, subject to peer review.

Leading the conference as keynote speaker is Prof. Joshua J. Malago, PhD, Professor of Cellular and Molecular Pathology at Sokoine University of Agriculture in Tanzania. Prof. Malago has spent much of his career in the Department of Veterinary Anatomy and Pathology at Sokoine, where he delivered his Professorial Inaugural Lecture in 2019 on “Heat Shock Mediated Immunoprotective Mechanisms of Gut Microbiota.” He also served as Editor of the Tanzania Veterinary Journal between 2010 and 2013, and his research over the years has focused on veterinary pathology, including work on gut immunology. He brings that depth of experience to this year’s conference, where he is expected to give scholars plenty to think about on research and innovation in the digital age.

Researchers hoping to take part have a broad range of sub-themes to choose from, among them artificial intelligence and competence-based curriculum, theology in the digital age, digital ministry for church and pastoral practice, telemedicine and digital health technologies, digital agriculture and smart farming, sustainable food systems, parenting and child protection in the digital era, and leadership and business management in the digital age, alongside several others reflecting the many ways digital transformation is reshaping research and society.

Those interested submitted abstracts of 200 to 250 words, along with full papers. For those interested to attend, accommodation can be arranged upon request. Research conference fee is 100 USD.

As the dates draw closer, Bugema University looks forward to welcoming scholars from near and far to honor Dr. Eria Muwanguzi memory the way he would have wanted, through good, honest research and conversation about where higher education is headed next. For more information, contact ngussab@bugemauniv.ac.ug or +255 753 889 912 (WhatsApp).