Dr. Musiimenta is a Senior Lecturer at Makerere University in Uganda, specializing in gender studies. She holds a PhD and a Masters in Women’s Studies, along with a bachelor’s degree in arts with education, all from Makerere University. She has additional certifications, including one in Professional Development Programme for Gender Trainers from KIT (Netherlands) and another in Pedagogical Leadership in Africa (PEdAL) focused on Technology for transformative pedagogy from Partnership for African Social and Governance Research (PASGR).
Her research interests include gender and education, children and family issues, gender and agriculture, women’s socio-economic empowerment, gender, youth, and resilience, as well as masculinity studies. Musiimenta has conducted various research projects, such as educated women’s experiences in urban Uganda, gender integration in agricultural research institutions in Rwanda and Uganda, youth realities and transitions in East Africa, and rebuilding the moral infrastructure of youth in Uganda.
She has held positions as a Guest Researcher at the Nordic Africa Institute, Sweden, and a Research Fellow at the University of Jyväskylä, focusing on projects related to masculinity studies and transformative gender studies pedagogy. Currently, she leads a project funded by Andrew W. Mellon Foundation titled “Towards transformative gender studies pedagogy for challenging power relations and dominance in academia” as part of the Center of Excellence in Research, Teaching, and Learning.
Apart from her academic roles, Musiimenta is actively involved in various societal positions, including chairing the Women of Uganda Network (WOUGNET) Board, heading the College of Humanities and Social Sciences E-learning department, and being a member of the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences Research Ethics Committee. She also mentors MasterCard scholarship beneficiaries at Makerere University and supports young people in discovering their potential. She provides technical expertise to International and national organizations, including serving as a trainer and mentor for the Gender-Responsive Researchers Equipped for Agricultural Transformation (GREAT) program, a joint initiative by Makerere University and Cornell University. Additionally, she was part of the team that received a global award of excellence for human development reporting in 2016 for the UNDP country report on unlocking the development potential of Northern Uganda.
