Forbes Africa's March-February edition features women excelling in their 30s and 40s on its list of "Over 30 Under 50." Among them, Assistant Professor Catherine Nakalembe is profiled in the science industry. 

An assistant professor at the University of Maryland, in the Department of Geographical Sciences, Dr. Catherine Nakalembe is making her mark on science, and on Africa, every day. Not only is she the NASA Harvest Africa Lead, Nakalembe is also a member of the NASA SERVIR Applied Sciences Team and serves as the Agriculture and Food Security Thematic Lead.

Her work is centered around machine learning and satellite remote sensing which, according to her website, is “to conduct ground-breaking research and develop applications aimed at advancing agriculture, supporting food security initiative, mapping land use, facilitating humanitarian aid, and enhancing climate resilience with a focus on Africa”.

The importance of this work is further emphasized by stats from the 2023 Africa Agriculture Status Report, which states that 650 million Africans, or roughly 50% of the continent’s population, lack economic or physical access to sufficient food. This alone may be reason enough to celebrate and encourage women in science, just like Dr. Nakalembe.