We aim to be a leading African centre for research and study of computer science and information systems, producing world class graduates and research while playing a positive role in the upliftment and empowerment of our community. This is only possible through the excellent endeavour of our academic staff, all with strong CS/IS/IT background, in theoretical and research areas, as well as contemporary industry experience.
We have a dual mandate: to bring the best of IT knowledge to the classroom for dissemination to students and to assist in the production of IT knowledge through active research and publication.
CENTRE FOR IT AND NATIONAL DEVELOPMENT IN AFRICA (CITANDA)
(Director: Lisa Seymour)
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CITANDA aims to bring together researchers, projects, funders, and programmes focused on Information and Communication Technology (ICT) in the service of national development. Our approach to research is grounded in the discipline of IS, which is inter-disciplinary and allows systemic investigation of phenomena which emerge from complex interactions that take place between ICT, organisations, society and individuals, rather than any one of these elements in isolation.
CITANDA is singularly focused on Africa. We strive to be the leading African centre for Information Systems research in Africa, producing world-class African scholars and internationally recognised research outputs and postgraduates. Our strategic location and role in Africa is acknowledged, and as such we place great emphasis on being both internationally recognised, as well as African in terms of research thrust and profile. CITANDA actively partners in interdisciplinary research that complements our educational and research programs. In particular, we engage in diverse research aligned to our research themes.
CENTRE FOR ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE RESEARCH
(Director: Professor Tommie Meyer, Deputy Director: Associate Professor Deshen Moodley)
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The Centre for Artificial Intelligence Research (CAIR) is a national centre, hosted by the CSIR, with nodes at a number of South African universities. CAIR conducts research related to foundational and applied aspects of Artificial Intelligence. The UCT node has a specific focus on Knowledge Representation and Reasoning, as well as Adaptive and Cognitive Systems, and explores applications of Artificial Intelligence for social and economic development in South Africa and Africa.
CENTRE IN ICT FOR DEVELOPMENT (ICT4D)
The Centre is no longer operational as of 2021; however, research in various areas of ICT4D continues within other research groups in the School.
COLLABORATIVE VISUAL COMPUTING
(Co-ordinator: Professor J Gain)
Topics of research include: Collaborative Virtual Environments; Usability and Human-Computer Interaction; Computer Graphics; Image Analysis applied to Medical Images; Virtual Reality and Behavioural Therapy; allowing end-users to create interesting virtual environments; Interaction with Mobile Computing Devices; Scalable Interfaces; and implications of these for Government Information Technology Policy. Special interests within the CVC lab include Socially Aware Computing, VR Methodology, Virtual Environments, Modelling and Procedural Graphics.
DIGITAL LIBRARIES
(Co-ordinator: Professor H Suleman)
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Research areas covered within digital libraries include information storage and retrieval; multilingual retrieval; Web-based systems; scalable and flexible repositories; interoperability and protocols; component-based systems; Open Access; and cultural heritage preservation.
HIGH PERFORMANCE COMPUTING
(Co-ordinator: Associate Professor M Kuttel)
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This laboratory investigates aspects of high performance computing, including: parallel algorithms; multi-core and GPU programming; computational science; and scientific visualisation.
HUMAN-COMPUTER INTERACTION
(Co-ordinators: Associate Professor Melissa Densmore)
Affiliated with the Centre in ICT4D, this laboratory takes a human-centred approach to the design and deployment of systems. Domains of research include design for mothers, design for community-health workers, local content creation for communities, media-based peer health education, and co-design across borders, with a focus on the role of HCI in making effective, usable and sustainable systems to address problems of inequality and social justice.
NETWORK AND INFORMATION SECURITY
(Co-ordinator: Professor A Hutchison)
Computer Network Security: this group aims to design and implement network security protocols to address problems of security in web services, cloud computing environments and enterprise environments; research includes goal-oriented protocol design and identity management.
NETWORKING FOR DEVELOPMENT
(Co-ordinators: Dr Josiah Chavula and Dr David L Johnson)
The Net4D laboratory focuses on the design and implementation of network infrastructure suitable for developing regions, as well as methods for sharing information in resource-scarce areas using alternative technologies. Main areas of research include Network Measurements, Wireless Community Networks, Cloudlets, Software Defined Networking (SDN), and AI-driven network engineering. Our work involves a mix of creating solutions using network theory and systems, combined with trial networks that provide tangible measurable results. Net4D laboratory is affiliated to the UCT Centre in ICT4D.
For more information on the research being conducted by our team, visit the Academic Staff page where you will find links to their research profiles.