Academy Life

Course Leads

Meet our world renown trainers and course leaders writing and delivering a wide range of Clean cooling and cold-chain related courses in the CCN Academy.

Meet the team at the ACES Rubirizi Campus, Kigali for a hands on, working session or partake in online training with a member of our team. We offer 1 day foundation sessions to detailed Continuous Professional Development workshops.

Asha Singh profile picture
Asha Singh

Research Fellow at the University of Birmingham

Asha is an interdisciplinary researcher with a focus on energy transition, energy resilience, low-carbon energy innovation, bioeconomy, sustainable cooling, and gender. Her primary research interests lie in the intersection of international development, energy, and gender. Currently employed as a Research Fellow at the Centre for Sustainable Cooling, at the University of Birmingham, she adopts a comprehensive approach to identify existing and anticipated challenges and sustainable solutions within the global cooling and cold-chain sector.

She contributes to the development of assessment tools for evaluating cooling and cold-chain requirements, ensuring their integration of gender and social inclusivity principles in design, data collection, and analysis. Furthermore, her research leadership has extended to examining the reciprocal impacts of gender and social inclusion in cooling and cold-chain initiatives, alongside the formulation of monitoring, evaluation, and learning frameworks, as well as safeguarding policies, all these aimed at institutionalizing gender equality and social inclusion in cooling and cold-chain efforts—a crucial area of advancement within the sector. Additionally, she has assisted the team in developing instructional materials to reinforce the capacity of local communities preceding the adoption of new cold-chain technologies and business/financial models, with a specific emphasis on improved integration of socio-economic impacts of clean cooling and cold-chain.

GESI Courses

Cooling and Refrigeration Courses

A range of academic doctors and lecturers write and deliver training in this area.

Edward Hammond profile picture
Dr. Edward Hammond

Technical Expert on Cooling and the Cold-Chain

Dr Hammond gained his Master of Mechanical Engineering (MEng Hons) degree at the University of Bath and a PhD in Retail Display Refrigeration, ‘effect of reducing air curtain length on heat transfer through vertical air curtains’, at the University of Bristol. He is a member of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers (IMechE), and a Fellow of the Institute of Refrigeration (IOR).
Equally competent on the tools, Ed’s academic experience is backed by years of commercial experience in the refrigeration industry and practical, “hands-on” mechanical engineering skills. This combination of academic analysis and practical application has enabled him to develop innovative solutions to problems around cooling, temperature control, Carbon reduction, agriculture and Energy.
Ed works with ACES and the Clean Cooling Network to review technologies, develop technical specifications and prepare training material.
Athanase Dalson Gace profile picture
Dr. Athanase Dalson Gace

Academic Head
Africa Centre of Excellence for Sustainable Cooling and Cold Chain (ACES)

Gace Athanase Dalson, a dedicated scholar, holds a Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering in Applied Fluid Mechanics from the National University of Singapore, 2018. He earned his Bachelor's degree with honours in Physics from the National University of Rwanda in 2012.

Gace is currently an Academic Head at the African Centre of Excellence in Sustainable Cooling and Cold-Chain (ACES), coordinating strategies and overseeing academic programs. He contributes significantly to ACES' mission of advancing sustainable cold chain technologies.
Gace has published several papers in prestigious journals and conferences and led as Principal Investigator transformative projects like the Solar-Powered E-tractor Development initiative. His research portfolio spans diverse areas, from applied metrology, refrigeration, cold chain, and solar energy systems, and their application for social and economic growth.

He is a reviewer for prestigious journals, including Flow Measurement Instrumentation, Measurement Science and Technology published by Elsevier, the Jordan Journal of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering, and the Journal of Advanced Thermal Science Research.
Jean Pierre Musabyimana profile picture
Jean Pierre Musabyimana

Research Lead
Africa Centre of Excellence for Sustainable Cooling and Cold Chain (ACES)

Jean Pierre Musabyimana is Research Lead at Africa’s Centre of Excellence for Sustainable Cooling and Cold Chain (ACES), where he heads a One Health program that synchronizes immunization systems, seed systems and farming resilience, nutritional security and food safety, and health systems resilience—recognizing that human, animal, plant and environmental health are inextricably linked.

In this capacity, he actively contributes to conceiving and implementing innovative cold chain models for vaccines, diagnostics and antibody development that span sectors and geographies, applying renewable energy refrigeration, IoT-enabled temperature monitoring, and robust biobanking to safeguard biologicals and bolster supply chain integrity in low-resource settings.

An infection biologist with a PhD in Cell and Applied Infection Biology and dual MScs in Biotechnology & Bioinformatics and Global Health Delivery, Jean Pierre leverages his expertise in structural/comparative genomics, vaccine and therapeutic R&D, and advanced bioinformatics pipelines to align laboratory innovation with field needs.

He forges multisectoral partnerships with universities, industry, and government to pilot context-adapted interventions, drawing on One Health insights into urban agriculture, food systems, and resilience and addressing food safety risks through integrated approaches.

Regionally, he co-leads pandemic surveillance, genomics and climate modelling consortia, most notably the EDCTP3-funded GREAT LIFE initiative, which deploys field-portable genomics and novel diagnostics across the African Great Lakes, advancing early detection and response. As Co-PI of the KIVU JUA consortium, he spearheads Mpox epidemiology and immunology research in Central Africa, contributing to the WHO Mpox Genomic Surveillance Community of Practice and serving on Africa CDC’s RISLNET committee. He also co-leads malaria drug resistance surveillance in East Africa, integrating NGS workflows into routine monitoring for artemisinin resistance.

Passionate about sustainable cooling, Jean Pierre weaves environmental engineering, data analytics, and One Health principles to reinforce vaccine delivery, food safety, and overall health system resilience, positioning ACES and Rwanda as models for cross-sectoral, climate-smart public health preparedness.
Jean Baptiste Ndahetuye profile picture
Jean Baptiste Ndahetuye

Head of Research
Africa Centre of Excellence for Sustainable Cooling and Cold Chain (ACES)

Jean Baptiste is an interdisciplinary Food Scientist (a well-rounded Agro-processing scientist) with 12 years of experience in the field. He is interested in food science, or Agro-processing, of both animal food, such as milk and meat, as well as crop, horticultural foods, such as cereals.

He is passionate about economics and/or business, engineering, environment, and other life sciences to
explain phenomena/processes/projects in Food Science or Food systems.

As a lecturer and researcher with experience in teaching in higher education, Jean Baptiste is an aspiring future Professor.

Co-authored publications in major peer-reviewed scientific journals and 7 extension or IC materials and 2 strategic plans, leading teams up to 10 people, and contributed in several grant funding.
Joseph Hakuzimana profile picture
Joseph Hakuzimana

Trainer & Course provider

Chief Technical Instructor.

OneHealth and Resilience Courses

A range of academic doctors and lecturers write and deliver training in this area.

Edward Hammond profile picture
Dr. Edward Hammond

Technical Expert on Cooling and the Cold-Chain

Dr Hammond gained his Master of Mechanical Engineering (MEng Hons) degree at the University of Bath and a PhD in Retail Display Refrigeration, ‘effect of reducing air curtain length on heat transfer through vertical air curtains’, at the University of Bristol. He is a member of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers (IMechE), and a Fellow of the Institute of Refrigeration (IOR).
Equally competent on the tools, Ed’s academic experience is backed by years of commercial experience in the refrigeration industry and practical, “hands-on” mechanical engineering skills. This combination of academic analysis and practical application has enabled him to develop innovative solutions to problems around cooling, temperature control, Carbon reduction, agriculture and Energy.
Ed works with ACES and the Clean Cooling Network to review technologies, develop technical specifications and prepare training material.
Athanase Dalson Gace profile picture
Dr. Athanase Dalson Gace

Academic Head
Africa Centre of Excellence for Sustainable Cooling and Cold Chain (ACES)

Gace Athanase Dalson, a dedicated scholar, holds a Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering in Applied Fluid Mechanics from the National University of Singapore, 2018. He earned his Bachelor's degree with honours in Physics from the National University of Rwanda in 2012.

Gace is currently an Academic Head at the African Centre of Excellence in Sustainable Cooling and Cold-Chain (ACES), coordinating strategies and overseeing academic programs. He contributes significantly to ACES' mission of advancing sustainable cold chain technologies.
Gace has published several papers in prestigious journals and conferences and led as Principal Investigator transformative projects like the Solar-Powered E-tractor Development initiative. His research portfolio spans diverse areas, from applied metrology, refrigeration, cold chain, and solar energy systems, and their application for social and economic growth.

He is a reviewer for prestigious journals, including Flow Measurement Instrumentation, Measurement Science and Technology published by Elsevier, the Jordan Journal of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering, and the Journal of Advanced Thermal Science Research.
Jean Pierre Musabyimana profile picture
Jean Pierre Musabyimana

Research Lead
Africa Centre of Excellence for Sustainable Cooling and Cold Chain (ACES)

Jean Pierre Musabyimana is Research Lead at Africa’s Centre of Excellence for Sustainable Cooling and Cold Chain (ACES), where he heads a One Health program that synchronizes immunization systems, seed systems and farming resilience, nutritional security and food safety, and health systems resilience—recognizing that human, animal, plant and environmental health are inextricably linked.

In this capacity, he actively contributes to conceiving and implementing innovative cold chain models for vaccines, diagnostics and antibody development that span sectors and geographies, applying renewable energy refrigeration, IoT-enabled temperature monitoring, and robust biobanking to safeguard biologicals and bolster supply chain integrity in low-resource settings.

An infection biologist with a PhD in Cell and Applied Infection Biology and dual MScs in Biotechnology & Bioinformatics and Global Health Delivery, Jean Pierre leverages his expertise in structural/comparative genomics, vaccine and therapeutic R&D, and advanced bioinformatics pipelines to align laboratory innovation with field needs.

He forges multisectoral partnerships with universities, industry, and government to pilot context-adapted interventions, drawing on One Health insights into urban agriculture, food systems, and resilience and addressing food safety risks through integrated approaches.

Regionally, he co-leads pandemic surveillance, genomics and climate modelling consortia, most notably the EDCTP3-funded GREAT LIFE initiative, which deploys field-portable genomics and novel diagnostics across the African Great Lakes, advancing early detection and response. As Co-PI of the KIVU JUA consortium, he spearheads Mpox epidemiology and immunology research in Central Africa, contributing to the WHO Mpox Genomic Surveillance Community of Practice and serving on Africa CDC’s RISLNET committee. He also co-leads malaria drug resistance surveillance in East Africa, integrating NGS workflows into routine monitoring for artemisinin resistance.

Passionate about sustainable cooling, Jean Pierre weaves environmental engineering, data analytics, and One Health principles to reinforce vaccine delivery, food safety, and overall health system resilience, positioning ACES and Rwanda as models for cross-sectoral, climate-smart public health preparedness.
Jean Baptiste Ndahetuye profile picture
Jean Baptiste Ndahetuye

Head of Research
Africa Centre of Excellence for Sustainable Cooling and Cold Chain (ACES)

Jean Baptiste is an interdisciplinary Food Scientist (a well-rounded Agro-processing scientist) with 12 years of experience in the field. He is interested in food science, or Agro-processing, of both animal food, such as milk and meat, as well as crop, horticultural foods, such as cereals.

He is passionate about economics and/or business, engineering, environment, and other life sciences to
explain phenomena/processes/projects in Food Science or Food systems.

As a lecturer and researcher with experience in teaching in higher education, Jean Baptiste is an aspiring future Professor.

Co-authored publications in major peer-reviewed scientific journals and 7 extension or IC materials and 2 strategic plans, leading teams up to 10 people, and contributed in several grant funding.
Joseph Hakuzimana profile picture
Joseph Hakuzimana

Trainer & Course provider

Chief Technical Instructor.
Essentials in Cold-chain systems self paced online learning course from the CCN Academy

Essentials in Cold-chain systems

  • Fully online, self-paced
  • Developed by experts from CCN/ACES and the University of Birmingham
  • For early Cold-chain professionals
Foundation in Cold-Chain Student

The Foundation in Cold-Chain course opened my eyes to the vital role that energy-efficient, sustainable cold-chains play in reducing post-harvest losses, improving food security, and strengthening Rwanda’s agri-food systems.

Train the Trainer Student

Thanks to ACES, I am more equipped to drive sustainable transformation in Rwanda’s agriculture sector. I highly encourage other professionals to join these life-changing programmes.

Industry Professional

It's a pleasure for me to join this community to learn more about the cold chain. Thank you for this opportunity to boost my knowledge in this field.

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Photography Student

The training this last few days has been nothing short of amazing. I’ve learnt so much and growing already as a photographer and it’s all thanks to you and Mireille. I can’t wait for what’s ahead, thank you so much! - Caroline Namara