Justus Asasira, is a lecturer in the Department of Community Engagement and Service Learning, Faculty of Interdisciplinary Studies at MUST, and a PhD scholar on the MUST IUC-UCoBS sub-project 3. This sub-project focuses on increasing access and utilization of affordable energy technologies.
I hold a Bachelor of Development Studies and a Master of Arts in Local Governance and Planning from Mbarara University of Science and Technology. My PhD project focuses on the socioeconomic and environmental impacts of accepting and adopting clean cooking technologies among households in Southwestern Uganda. The PhD project uses methods, such as Life Cycle Assessment (LCA), Q-methodology, Adoption/Behavioral models, and the Women Empowerment Index, to assess their influence on the acceptance and adoption of clean cooking technologies.
I have had short stays in different countries, e.g., Belgium at the University of Antwerp and KU Leuven and the University of Hasselt, to support my PhD training. I received support from Global Affairs Canada and was hosted at the University of Calgary as part of my PhD training, with additional training at Utrecht University in the Netherlands. My research has gained recognition from a wider research community. I have won the Best Junior Researcher Award (2025) and conference travel grants from TEA-LP, Tovero Energy, and the Veronica Anthony Foundation to attend the AICCEES conference in Nigeria.
Supervisors:
Prof. Dr. Tine Compernolle (University of Antwerp),
Prof. Dr. Jo Van Caneghem (KU Leuven),
Dr. Tom Ogwang (Mbarara University of Science and Technology),
Dr. Obungoloch Johnes and Prof. Maarten Vanierschot are providing project leadership.
The MUST IUC-UCoBS project has supported me in carrying out fieldwork activities, and some of the outputs from these activities have already been published in high-impact journals. I am writing academic papers, and they will be available once they are published. I am in the advanced stages of completing my PhD and anticipate finishing before the end of 2026.
Publications
A comparative assessment of environmental impacts of production, use, and disposal of parabolic solar cookers and charcoal for cooking in Uganda (2026), Clean Technologies and Environmental Policy: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10098-025-03377-5
Describing the Performance and the Infrastructure Requirements of the Existing Artificial Intelligence (AI)-based Diabetic Retinopathy (DR) Screening Algorithms for Diabetic Patients: An Umbrella Review (2025), Journal of Medical Systems: https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10916-025-02280-2
Do Perceptions Influence the Adoption and Abandonment of Biomass Briquettes for Cooking? An Exploratory Study of Different Energy Source Users in Mbarara City (2025). Journal of Environmental Management and Sustainable Development, Macrothink Institute: https://www.macrothink.org/journal/index.php/emsd/article/view/22783
Exploring greywater hydroponic vegetable growing and phytoremediation capacity of coleus plants for urban farmers in Mbarara City Uganda (2024) East African Journal of Science, Technology and Innovation: https://eajsti.org/index.php/EAJSTI/article/view/1038
Using Low-Dose Aspirin in the Prevention of Pre-eclampsia and Screening for High Risks: An Assessment of Health Workers’ Knowledge and Practices in Southwestern Uganda (2023). Journal of Clinics in Mother and Child Health: 10.35248/2090-7214.23.S18.001
Is Oil and Gas Discovery a Generational Curse? The Plight of Children in Land Compensation Dispossession in Uganda (2023), Journal of Internal Displacement,
https://journalofinternaldisplacement.org/index.php/JID/article/view/121
A Mobile Health App May Improve Maternal and Child Health Knowledge and Practices among Rural Women with Limited Education in Uganda. A Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial (2022). JAMIA Open, Oxford University Press https://doi.org/10.1093/jamiaopen/ooac081
Challenges in Accessing Maternal and Child Health Services during COVID-19 and the Potential Role of Social Networking Technologies (2022), Digital Health Journal, https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/20552076221086769
Challenges of Ending the Rwandan Refugee Problem in Uganda: The Relationship between the Old Case Loads and New Case Loads (2022). International Journal of Social Work, Macrothink Institute,
https://doi.org/10.5296/ijsw.v9i1.19646
Availability and uptake of community-based rehabilitation and inclusive development services for children with spina bifida in Southwestern Uganda (2022) Journal of Clinical Pediatric and Child Care Research https://www.opastpublishers.com/open-access-articles/availability-and-uptake-of-communitybased-rehabilitation-and-inclusive-development-services-for-children-with-spina-bifi.pdf
Rewards and performance of health center IV workers in Greater Mbarara District (2021), International Journal of Scientific Research and Publications. http://dx.doi.org/10.29322/IJSRP.11.09.2021.p11734
Public-Private Partnerships in Healthcare and Its Impact on Health Outcomes: Evidence from Ruharo Mission Hospital in Uganda (2018). International Journal of Social Science Studies. https://doi.org/10.11114/ijsss.v6i12.3911
