Joel is a PhD student in the Earth and Environmental Engineering department at Columbia University. Before embarking on his PhD journey, Joel worked as a research engineer at the University of Massachusetts-Amherst’s STIMALAB, where he contributed to projects aimed at resolving infrastructure challenges in the energy sector in developing nations, under the guidance of Professor Jay Taneja. Joel earned his BS in Electrical Engineering from Makerere University and MS in Electrical and Computer Engineering from Carnegie Mellon University.

Joel’s current research focuses on two critical areas. Firstly, he is analyzing the electricity access challenges faced by developing countries and working to find innovative solutions. Secondly, he is exploring ways to estimate electricity demand in regions with limited data using advanced remote sensing imagery.