I am a Senior Lecturer in the Computer Science Department of the University of Cape Town (UCT). I am also a member of UCT’s ICT4D Center, collaborating particularly within the Net4D research group.
Research area: My research focuses on performance of Internet systems in low-resource contexts, with emphasis on (1) Design of logical topologies for high performance, such as in Research and Education Networks (NRENs) and in Community Networks (including studying the impact of interconnection/routing strategies and middle-boxes on end-to-end performance); (2) Data-driven network performance engineering using Machine Learning and Software Defined Networking; (3) User-centric QoS/QoE measurements; (4) Internet universality in Africa and other developing regions, particularly with respect to ‘constrained access’ and various forms of Internet traffic manipulation and censorship; and (5) Exploring the intersection between internet performance and security, privacy and censorship.
Prospective postgraduate students can contact me on jchavula_at_cs_dot_uct_dot_ac_za to discuss potential research projects and possible funding avenues.
The goal of my research is to build community-orientated capacity for collecting and evaluating Internet-related data that can be used to identify technical challenges pertaining to Internet access, and to help network operators improve their inter-network topologies. My approach involves interaction with real-world network deployments for measurements and data collection. I also focus on designing, building and testing of Internet measurement tools.
I obtained a PhD in Computer Science from the University of Cape Town (2017), an MSc in Networking and Internet Systems from Lancaster University, England (2011), and a BSc in Computer Science and Physics from the University of Malawi (2005). I have previously been a Senior Research Engineer at the African Network Information Center (AFRINIC), the Regional Registry for Internet Number Resources serving the African Internet Community.