Prof. Charles Kwesiga

Executive Director

Professor Charles Kwesiga is the Executive Director of Uganda Industrial Research Institute (UIRI). An Industrial Engineer by profession, Charles Kwesiga has significant experience as a corporate manager, management consultant, educator, and entrepreneur.

As Executive Director he oversees the Institute’s activities that include: technology transfer; technology diffusion; process and product development; business incubation; contract engineering services and applied R&D.

Highly regarded by his peers and other professionals, Professor Kwesiga’s other extra-curricular activities include the following:

• President of WAITRO (World Association of Industrial and Technological Research Organisations), an association of 160 member institutions from 70 countries. Focus of the association is to create synergies between its members in their work as Research and Technological Organisations, President from Jan 2015 to Dec 2016
• Pioneered the building of Uganda Petroleum Institute, Kigumba (UPIK), as Chairman of a Special Task Force (March 2009 – Nov 2016)
• Senior Presidential Advisor (on retainer) for Scientific Innovations, Uganda Government.
• Member of Board of Control of the Senior Command and Staff College Kimaka (SCSC) of Uganda Peoples Defence Forces (UPDF). Prof Kwesiga is also a member of teaching staff.
• Member and Vice Chairman of the Board for National Enterprises Corporation (NEC), a business arm of UPDF.
• Chairman, Board of Governors, Ntare School.

Under Prof Kwesiga leadership UIRI was voted a Centre of Excellence in R&D for East African Community (EAC).

Dr. Dick Kamugasha

Deputy Executive Director

Dr. Dick Kamugasha the Deputy Executive Director of Uganda Industrial Research Institute (UIRI) previously served as Director of the Technology Development Centre (TDC) at UIRI from 2006 to 2018.

Dr. Kamugasha is a graduate of the University of Manchester Institute of Science and Technology (UMIST) where he attained a Master of Engineering Degree in Chemical Engineering and Environmental Technology in 1994. He attained a PhD in Chemical Engineering from the University College London (UCL), University of London in 1998.

He is an accomplished process engineer with extensive experience in management, leadership and team building, strategic planning, institutional development, project and business administration, applied research, innovation, technology development and transfer, product development.

He served as a Post-Doctoral Research Associate at UCL from 1998 to 2005, developing patented (UK, US and world-wide PCT patents) industrial particulate system quality monitoring and control instrumentation. This work was funded by the UK Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) and featured active collaboration with private sector clients and partners that included; GlaxoSmithKline Plc, AstraZeneca Plc, Unilever Plc, Omya UK Ltd (Lafarge), De Beers, British Sugar, Tate & Lyle Sugars and BASF (Belgium).