Nathan Williams, assistant professor at the Golisano Institute of Sustainability, has long been fascinated with solving complex problems. Williams’ passion was in mathematics and physics, but his wanderlust landed him with the Peace Corps, traveling across the Atlantic Ocean to Burkina Faso, a landlocked country in West Africa. While teaching math and science in a remote, unelectrified village, Williams learned a valuable lesson in energy access. His curiosity pushed him to create his own sustainable solutions. He tinkered with solar panels and batteries and built a solar home system, eventually helping friends in the community with their own systems. The experience provided the lightbulb that powers his academic journey. “Those two years were a transformative experience, not just with electricity, but with life in general,” Williams said. “It got me interested in energy access and the importance of improving people’s quality of life. I started to ask myself, ‘How can I use my technical background and skills to address these sticky development problems?’” Williams’ collaborative work tackles the subject of energy access in Sub-Saharan Africa. In 2015, the United Nations established Sustainable Development Goal 7 to ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable, and modern energy for all. This goal, Williams believes, is especially vital for advancing quality of life in energy-limited regions. According to research from the International Energy Agency, the International Renewable Energy Agency, the United Nations Statistics Division, the World Bank, and the World Health Organization, 685 million people across the world live without electricity, with a majority located in the region that Williams and his colleagues focus on. “Professor Williams is committed to and excels in conducting research that explores sustainability issues in developing nations with a particular focus on African nations such as Kenya and Rwanda,” said Amit Batabyal, interim head of the Department of Sustainability and the Arthur J. Gosnell Professor of Economics in the College of Liberal Arts. “This work aligns well and is consistent with the sustainability department’s mission to provide a broad-based, systems perspective on sustainability challenges both in and outside the United States.” Williams is not one to take full credit for his work. His work integrates a collaborative approach, recruiting students from regions who bring invaluable local perspectives. These collaborations contribute to innovative solutions, blending data science with hands-on fieldwork to bridge information gaps in energy research across the continent. “I specifically recruit students from the region because they bring a perspective that I don’t have,” Williams said. “I see sort of a privilege that I have as a professor is helping them to get a voice and have a platform in this space, because sometimes the communities that are struggling with access challenges aren’t sufficiently represented in the solutions.” In 2022, Williams secured a Rockefeller Foundation grant to use data science and remote sensing to understand the role of infrastructure access in rural development. These funds helped alumni like Lefu Maqelepo ‘24 (sustainability), who explored the economic and operational challenges facing mini-grid systems. Maqelepo’s work supported a subsidy program pitch for mini grids in Sierra Leone. He currently works as an analyst at Massachusetts-based ISO New England, an independent, not-for-profit regional transmission organization. One of the projects that alumnus Fhazhil Wamalwa ’24 (sustainability) embarked upon focused on integrated planning for energy access and irrigation farming, a synergistic approach to fostering development in the most food-insecure region in the world. Wamalwa, who is from Kenya and was one of Williams’ first students, experienced the challenges of limited electricity access and food insecurity caused by several factors. “I deeply value the relevance of Dr. Williams’ work,” said Wamalwa, who is an assistant professor in electrical engineering at San Francisco State University. “His research addresses these critical issues and offers practical solutions aligned with the achievement of multiple sustainable development goals. It exemplifies the impactful and transformative work being done at RIT, positioning the university as a key contributor to addressing pressing global challenges in developing world.” Sustainability Ph.D. student Tunmise Raji examined how electrifying agriculture, especially for irrigation and processing, holds potential for economic upliftment in rural areas, where agriculture remains a primary occupation. Raji notes that Williams consistently pushed him to consider not just the technical solutions, but also its real-world impact. “Our work in Professor Williams’ labs stand out for its focus on not only the supply side of the energy access challenges in Africa but also the demand side, with the goal of empowering local communities to use electricity productively,” Raji said. “For example, his approach of combining satellite imagery analysis with on-the-ground fieldwork fundamentally bridges the data access gaps that researchers face when focusing on Africa. I believe these make our work particularly valuable for advancing universal access to electricity in the region." Williams views his work not as a standalone achievement but as part of a larger, collaborative effort to address significant global challenges in energy and sustainability. “I don’t want to put too much on myself that I’m somehow saving the world,” Williams said. “I have a small role to play, and I love what I do. It certainly is a privilege to be a part of that larger community that’s tackling important problems.”

Imaging science Ph.D. student Mohammad Saif earned his bachelor’s degree in electrical and electronic engineering from Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology in his home country before enrolling at RIT in the fall of 2020. A research project during his undergraduate career drew his attention to imaging, and now he has focused his academic career in remote sensing. Opportunities outside of the lab and the field have helped him learn how to better communicate and discuss the impact of his work. What made you interested in the imaging science Ph.D. program? During my final years of undergraduate study, I worked on a project focused on detecting anemia using images of the human eye. This experience sparked my interest in imaging. Later on, a friend I collaborated with on that project began his Ph.D. here and encouraged me to apply here. What research are you currently working on? This program introduced me to the vast world of imaging and its diverse applications and processes. I got particularly interested in remote sensing, which deals with analyzing satellite/airborne or drone imagery. Jan van Aardt was leading a project that used drones to predict crop conditions, which immediately piqued my interest. This work not only offered the chance to collect and analyze drone imagery but also the opportunity to contribute to real-world issues of food security and sustainability. Inspired by its potential impact, I joined his group and now I spend my days analyzing table beet imagery. More specifically, my work involves capturing overhead drone images of table beets using hyperspectral, multispectral, and LiDAR imaging. LiDAR accurately maps the distances of objects, allowing us to generate precise 3D imagery. Multispectral imaging functions like a regular camera but includes additional channels beyond the standard red, green, and blue, capturing red-edge and near-infrared bands as well. Hyperspectral imaging, on the other hand, provides a continuous spectrum of colors, offering detailed insights beyond the limits of human vision. With this data, we’re able to predict the end-of-season harvest yield and assess disease severity in table beets. I also evaluate the performance of each imaging system, balancing cost with optimal results, which contributes to developing more efficient, precise crop management strategies. You participated in the Three Minute Thesis competition and presented at the Industrial Associates Symposium. How did these events help you as a Ph.D. student and in your academic career? I dive deep into the intricate details of my research, focusing on fine-tuning small components and getting fully immersed in the technical aspects. This can sometimes make it easy to lose sight of the bigger picture, as in why I’m doing this work in the first place. Preparing for this kind of event allowed me to take a step back, breathe, and see the larger purpose and impact of my work. This not only helped to communicate effectively with people outside my niche area but also reignited my motivation, giving me fresh perspective and enthusiasm as I returned to my daily work. Industrial Associates provided me with an opportunity to showcase my work in front of industry professionals. It also gave a platform to engage directly with companies and industry professionals, allowing me to explore the kind of projects they are pursuing and the technical skills they value. It introduced me to potential career paths and connected me with industry professionals. Overall, I’m incredibly grateful to RIT for providing these kinds of experiences that support growth beyond the lab or the research field. Opportunities like these challenge me to communicate effectively, keep me motivated, and allow me to build connections with the broader academic and professional communities. These events have helped me grow not only as a researcher but also as a professional, preparing me for a future where I can make meaningful contributions to my field.