Associate Prof. Sam Takavarasha Jr is the Dean of the Faculty of Management and Entrepreneurial Sciences at the Women’s University in Africa and a Senior Lecturer in Information Systems. He has an impressive background in research, having previously served as a research fellow at the University of Fort Hare in South Africa, where he worked in the Department of Information Systems. Prof. Sam Takavarasha Jr holds a BSc in Computer and Information Systems from the University of Portsmouth in the UK (2006), and a DPhil in Science in Information Systems from the University of Zimbabwe (2016), where he led numerous research consultancy projects and pioneered Zimbabwe’s first e-learning virtual lecture project.
Prof. Sam Takavarasha Jr is a published author, having written many peer-reviewed academic papers and a book entitled "Affordability Issues Surrounding the Use of ICT for Development and Poverty Reduction." He has also conducted three national consultancy projects, two of which he led as the principal investigator.
With extensive administrative experience, Prof. Sam Takavarasha Jr has served on three boards and university councils on both management and oversight sides. His editorial experience includes serving as a special issue journal editor for the International Journal of Information Systems (IJISPM), the Electronic Journal of Information Systems in Developing Countries (EJISDC), and the International Journal of Industrial Engineering and Operations Management (IJIEOM), as well as a book editor.
Prof. Sam Takavarasha Jr has also held various leadership positions in the academic community, serving as a track chair for the European Conference of Information Systems (ECIS) in 2017 and 2018, and as a program committee member for several international conferences, including IFIP HCC13, ICTAS, IFIP HCC14, ZCICT, and ACIST. At the regional level, he is the current conference chair of the African Conference on Information Systems and Technology (ACIST) for 2023-2024. At the national level, he is the editor of the POTRAZ Journal of IT and the founder and conference chair of the Zimbabwe Conference of ICT (ZCICT).
Prof. Sam Takavarasha Jr is a member of several professional organizations, including the Association for Information Systems (AIS), the Southern African Institute for Management Scientists (SAIMS), and the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE). He serves on the board of Multi Help Trust and as a research sub-committee chair of Solusi University. He also serves as a senate representative of the Women’s University in Africa Council. In addition to his administrative duties as Dean, Prof. Sam Takavarasha Jr supervises MPhil and PhD candidates and teaches courses in e-Business, Project Management, and e-Commerce in the Department of Information Systems. He is also an external examiner for several regional and local universities. He regularly delivers public lectures on trending issues in research, teaching, and ICT applications in business and academia.
Prof. Sam Takavarasha Jr's interests include physical fitness, comedy, poetry, and playing in gospel and jazz bands.