Amanda Mwenda

Amanda Mwenda is a Research Fellow at the University of Western Australia (UWA), affiliated with both the School of Engineering and School of Humanities. She completed her PhD in Science Communication at UWA in 2023 and holds a Master of Science Communication (2018) and Bachelor of Biomedical Sciences (2009).

Education:

• PhD: Science Communication, UWA (2023) - Thesis: Decolonizing AI narratives via Zambian smartphone filmmaking
• MSc: Science Communication, UWA (2018)
• BSc: Biomedical Sciences, University of Southampton (2009)

Research Interests:

• Intersection of AI ethics and African narratives
• Mine closure rehabilitation focusing on First Nations communities
• Design fiction methodologies for technology critique
• Environmental justice in post-mining landscapes

Current projects include the CRC TiME initiative exploring cultural dimensions of pit lakes post-mining operations. Her work bridges engineering, humanities, and social sciences to address colonial legacies in technology and resource extraction industries.

Advancing Sustainable Futures: Engages communities in collaborative planning for post-mining economies through participatory communication frameworks and interdisciplinary research methodologies.