Dr. Penjani Hopkins Nyimbili is a geomatics engineering academic, researcher, licensed drone pilot and innovation leader at the University of Zambia, where he serves as Assistant Dean (Research). He is the Deputy Centre Leader of the National Centre for Uncrewed Aircraft Systems (NACUAS), contributing to national capacity building, supporting citywide citizen drone mapping initiatives and regulatory innovation through multi-sector collaboration.
His work is pioneering the integration of drone systems, Earth observation, and open data ecosystems to support climate resilience, planning and sustainable development.
He is also Assistant Coordinator of the Flatpack-UNZA Energy Modelling Research Hub (FUEM-RH), an interdisciplinary initiative promoting open-source energy systems modelling, waste-to-energy research, circular economy solutions, and sustainable technology design, supporting both academic training and applied, policy-oriented studies and spatial modelling approaches. As Co-Founder and Faculty Head of TerraNova Lab, he leads a collaborative living lab enabling students, communities, government, and industry to co-create geospatial solutions addressing sustainability and development challenges.
Dr. Penjani Hopkins Nyimbili holds BEng, MSc and PhD degrees in Geomatics Engineering, Postgraduate International Diploma in Project Management (IDPM) and Data Science as well as several other trainings and certifications.