11th EAI International Conference on Advancements of Science and Technology: ICAST 2023

About

Abeba Birhane is a cognitive scientist who works at the intersection of complex adaptive systems machine learning algorithmic bias and critical race studies. Birhane's work with Vinay Prabhu uncovered that large-scale image datasets commonly used to develop AI systems including ImageNet and 80 Million Tiny Images carried racist and misogynistic labels and offensive images. She has been recognized by VentureBeat as a top innovator in computer vision. Birhane was born in Ethiopia. She received her Bachelors of Science in Psychology and a Bachelors of Arts in Philosophy from The Open University. In 2015 she completed her Master of Science in Cognitive Science and in 2021 her Ph.D. at the Complex Software Lab in the School of Computer Science at University College Dublin. Birhane studied the impacts of emerging AI technologies and how they shape individuals and local communities. She found that AI algorithms tend to disproportionately impact vulnerable groups such as older workerstrans people immigrants and children. Her research on relational ethics won the best paper award at NeurIPSs Black in AI workshop in 2019. She has also studied and written about algorithmic colonization. Her work in decolonizing computational sciences addressed the inherited oppressions in current systems especially towards women of color. Fekadu Shewarega (Member IEEE) received the Dipl.-Ing. degree in electrical engineering and the Ph.D. degree in power engineering from the Technical University of Dresden Dresden Germany in 1985 and 1988 respectively. After graduation he joined the Addis Ababa University Ethiopia as an Associate Professor where he served in various teaching and administrative capacities. Currently he is a member of the research staff at the University Duisburg-Essen Duisburg Germany. His research interests are focused on power system analysis and renewable energy technologies Mekuanint Agegnehu Bitew received the bachelors degree from Mekelle University Mekelle Ethiopia in 2005 the masters degree from Addis Ababa University Addis Ababa Ethiopia in 2007 and the Ph.D. degree from the College of Electrical and Computer Science National Taipei University of Technology Taipei Taiwan in 2016. He has been a Postdoctoral Researcher for two years with the National Taipei University of Technology. Since 2022 he has been an Associate Professor with the Faculty of Computing Bahir Dar Institute of Technology Bahir Dar University Bahir Dar Ethiopia. His research interests include WSNs ad-hoc networks wireless communication optical networks and AI. Mekonnen Wagaw received the bachelors degree from Addis Ababa University Addis Ababa Ethiopia in 2005 the Masters degree from Addis Ababa University Addis Ababa Ethiopia in 2010 and the Ph.D. degree from the University of South Africa in Information Systems 2020. Since then he has been an Assistant Professor with the Faculty of Computing Bahir Dar Institute of Technology Bahir Dar University Bahir Dar Ethiopia.  Ahunim Abebe Ashetehe received a bachelor's degree in electrical/electronics technology and an M.Sc. degree in electrical power system engineering from Adama Science and Technology University in 2005 and 2009 respectively and a PhD degree in electrical power engineering from Bahir Dar University in 2024. He worked at Debre Berhan University from 2006 to 2012 engaging in teaching-learning community service and administrative activities. He has been a lecturer at the Bahir Dar Institute of Technology Bahir Dar University since August 2012. Currently he is an assistant professor at Bahir Dar Institute of Technology Bahir Dar University Ethiopia. His research interests include renewable energy technologies rural electrification microgrid and smart grid technologies power system optimization and energy management.