The People Behind
the Mission.
Passionate researchers, innovators, and community champions — united by a vision for rural Malawi.
Youth. Research. Impact.
CHIMKA Research Partners is powered by a multidisciplinary team spanning renewable energy, agricultural economics, land & water systems, AI, and communications — united by a commitment to evidence-based rural development across Malawi.
Our researchers hold qualifications from institutions in Malawi, the UK, South Africa, and Taiwan, combining international knowledge with deep local expertise to design solutions that work on the ground.
Executive & Senior Team
Faith Mbonongo Banda
Faith leads CHIMKA as Managing Partner, bringing doctoral-level research expertise from Loughborough University and a strong background in renewable energy systems from the University of Strathclyde. She sets strategic direction and ensures the organisation's research agenda remains aligned with community needs across rural Malawi.
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Chisomo Mkwanda
Chisomo oversees all research programmes and day-to-day operations at CHIMKA. With doctoral training from the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine and an MA in Economics, she brings a rigorous, multidisciplinary lens to CHIMKA's work on health, nutrition, and rural development.
LinkedIn ProfileResearchers & Specialists
Our multidisciplinary team — from the field to the lab to the boardroom.
Shadreck Kapalamula
Shadreck leads CHIMKA's land and water systems work, applying his expertise in land and water management to design community-level interventions that improve water access and sustainable land use across Malawi's rural districts.
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Michael Msukuma
Michael leads CHIMKA's agricultural economics and rural development strand. His MSc training across LUANAR and the University of Cape Town equips him to design evidence-based value chain interventions and food security strategies that support smallholder farmers.
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Precious Winstone
Precious leads CHIMKA's technology and AI work, leveraging his background in Sustainable Energy and Artificial Intelligence from MUST. He develops digital tools, data pipelines, and AI-assisted analysis platforms that strengthen CHIMKA's research and community outreach.
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Blessings Navaya
Brian supports CHIMKA's research teams across multiple projects, assisting with data collection, literature review, report writing, and stakeholder coordination. His business administration background brings an organisational and financial lens to research delivery.
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Mark Kayange
Mark leads CHIMKA's communications and digital presence. Drawing on his finance and banking background, he manages strategic messaging, social media platforms, donor communications, and the organisation's public-facing narrative to amplify CHIMKA's impact.
LinkedInWant to Join CHIMKA?
We welcome passionate young researchers, field professionals, and development practitioners who share our vision for rural Malawi. Whether as staff, volunteers, or research collaborators — there is a place for you here.