People

Meet our team of researchers, collaborators, and students.

Sarina Till

Chief Investigator (CI)

Sarina leads research on co-designing digital agricultural systems in rural Africa, exploring how AI and IoT technologies can empower local farmers through participatory design and community engagement.

Taryn Wilson

Co-Investigator (Co-I)

John’s work focuses on human-computer interaction and sustainability, developing hybrid digital systems that support environmental monitoring and local innovation through open hardware and data transparency.

Taryn Ross

Lab Manager (Co-I)

Taryn ensures the smooth operation of the lab, providing operational support , grant application support, logistics she ensures compliance , she tracks and monitors ethical clearance processes and approvals. She oversees the project plannin and execution of our research projects, managers grants and funders and handles all our reporting.

Reece Wanvig

Co-Investigator (Co-I)

Reece's research interests centre on the Internet of Things (IoT). He is particularly focused on the practical application of IoT technology to solve complex, real-world problems, whether it involves implementing solutions in remote environments, like a desert or addressing logistical challenges, such as on-campus parking.

Yusra Adnan

Junior Researcher (SR)

Yusra is a passionate Computer Science lecturer and Junior Researcher at Emeris's Durban North campus, specializing in teaching programming modules in Java, C#, and React Native. She really enjoy helping students from non-technical backgrounds develop strong coding and problem-solving skills through engaging, hands-on lessons and interactive analogies. Her research interests lies in the creation of tinyML models aimed at rural african settings, working closely with the community to develop software, AI models and other technologies that are contextually relevant and inclusive.

Leighché Jaikarran

Student Researcher (SR)

In addition to his role as a student researcher who trains various tinyML models developed for intermittent electricity and internet access, Leighché's is a BI & Sales Operations Manager at Amazon South Africa, specialising in solutions development and workflow automation within the Amazon Marketplace for Product and AWS MENA TECH. As the subject matter expert for reporting and Salesforce, I use Python, SQL, and Amazon’s internal tools to build scalable reporting pipelines that drive strategic decisions. My role bridges analytics and execution, designing, automating, and optimising campaign frameworks to ensure data directly supports business growth.

Mishka Dewlok

Student Researcher (SR)

Mishka is a postgraduate student researcher with a background in Computer and Information Sciences and Data Analytics. Her research lies in intersection of technology, education and social impact, focusing on co-designing inclusive, data-driven solutions for low-resource communities in South Africa.

Talent Zhou

Student Researcher (SR)

Talent Zhou is a registered Industrial & Organisational Psychologist and a Business Learning Partner. She holds a Masters Degree in Industrial Psychology and currently pursuing a postgraduate diploma in Data Analytics, with research focusing on the integration of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and the Internet of Things (IoT) to enhance efficiency in hydroponic farming and support data-driven decision-making. Her interdisciplinary work bridges psychology, technology , and analytics to explore how intelligent systems can enable learning, performance, and sustainable development across various fields.