Biography: Eng. Dr. Chilala Kakoma Bowa is a Fellow of the Engineering institution of Zambia, energy expert, and education advocate with extensive experience in renewable energy, policy, and capacity development. She serves as the Executive Director of the Zambia Renewable Energy Association (ZARENA) and is a member of the 62nd Engineering Council of the Engineering Institution of Zambia (EIZ), representing the Engineering Unit.
She holds a PhD in Engineering Management from the University of Johannesburg, an MSc in Energy Economics and Planning from Kathmandu University (Nepal), and a BSc in Electrical Engineering (Power Systems and Machines) from the University of Zambia (UNZA).
Dr. Bowa is also one of the founders of the Zambia Women in Engineering Section (ZWES), where she has played a pivotal role in advancing gender inclusion, mentorship, and leadership within the engineering profession. Beyond her technical expertise, she is a dedicated mentor, guiding young professionals and students in engineering, renewable energy, and leadership development.
She is the Founder of the Zambia Spelling Bee and Co-Founder of the International Kids Innovation Hub, championing Science, Technology, Reading, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics (STREAM) education, literacy, and youth empowerment.
Dr. Bowa has addressed both local and international platforms, sharing insights on energy policy, renewable energy solutions, and strategic implementation. She has also facilitated tutorials at the IEEE Power Africa Conference, focusing on rural electrification, regulatory harmonisation, and inclusive energy access.
Biography: He holds a Master’s in Entrepreneurship and Innovation from Rome Business School and is currently completing the final stage of his PhD in Commerce at the University of Santo Tomas. He is currently an educator at De La Salle University, teaching business big data, social entrepreneurship, innovation, and economics. His research interests are in the Circular Economy and Strategic Innovation. His published research in agribusiness and aquaculture focuses on optimizing business models in light of the realities of global warming. By treating climate challenges as optimization puzzles, he develops frameworks that balance economic growth with environmental resilience.
Abstract:As the global "Blue Economy" shifts toward technology-intensive production, understanding the structural drivers of innovation becomes critical. This talk will introduce the concept of "Fluidity of Innovation," a composite metric developed to account for knowledge generation and researcher density relative to systemic frictions like geographic distance and regulatory "viscosity." Drawing on a log-log Random Effects Panel Linear Model of 19 maritime nations, the presentation will demonstrate how these innovation inputs translate into per capita aquaculture yields over time. A key focus will be the identification of a three-year "Golden Lag," where the impact of innovation reaches its peak statistical significance. The session will discuss the practical implications of this three-year gestation period for policymakers and investors, providing a quantitative timeline for when innovation-centric reforms manifest as realized macroeconomic growth in the aquaculture sector.
Biography: Fuad Mahfud Assidiq is a Researcher at the Floating Structure Research Group and Department of Ocean Engineering at Universitas Hasanuddin, Indonesia. His main expertise is in dynamics of floating structure, and marine renewable energies. He focuses hir research on evaluating floating units’ seakeeping to enhance operational performance and ensure serviceability limits are maintained under both dynamic and extreme environmental loads.
Abstract: As offshore wind scales into deeper waters, SPAR platforms require robust solutions to resonant pitch and wave–current dynamics that accelerate fatigue and complicate load management. This work demonstrates that passive damping plates effectively suppress pitch resonance, increase hydrodynamic damping, and stabilize mooring loads without external power. Validated through integrated basin-numerical campaigns, the system is retrofit-ready and economically scalable for 15–20 MW turbines. By extending operational windows, damping plates represent a practical innovation for sustainable marine renewable energy and blue economy growth.