Kim Mallalieu

Deputy Chair of the Telecommunications Authority of Trinidad and Tobago (TATT), and Senior Lecturer in the Department of Electrical & Computer Engineering at The University of the West Indies

Bio

Kim Mallalieu is a long-standing senior lecturer and leader of the Communication Systems Group in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at The University of the West Indies (UWI) St. Augustine Campus in Trinidad and Tobago. From there she conceived, developed and delivered the Master’s degree in Telecommunications Regulation and Policy, MRP (Telecommunications) to managerial and executive level professionals from over thirty developing countries around the world.  Dr. Mallalieu teaches telecommunications courses at the undergraduate and postgraduate levels in the Department; and is the chairman of the UWI St. Augustine Campus ICT (information and communications technology) Steering Committee, in which capacity she is a standing guest of the Campus Finance and General Purposes Committee and Academic Board.

As Principal Investigator of the Caribbean ICT Research Programme (CIRP), Dr. Mallalieu is engaged in multidisciplinary action research on context appropriate strategies for the purposeful application of ICT for human good; with an emphasis on building the resilience of underserved populations. She has led many CIRP teams in the execution of projects for international agencies including but not limited to the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations, International Telecommunication Union (ITU), Technical Centre for Agricultural and Rural Cooperation (CTA), Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) and International Development Research Centre (IDRC), often alongside partner action research teams.

Dr. Mallalieu was a member of the inaugural Diálogo Regional sobre Sociedad de la Información (DIRSI), a research network that generates evidence-based outputs to inform public policy aimed at protecting and promoting democracy, social inclusion and economic opportunities through the use of ICT. She has also served as a mentor for the Socio-political Advocacy for Community Networks Engagement programme hosted by The Local Networks (LocNet) initiative, a collective effort led by the Association for Progressive Communications (APC) and Rhizomatica, a non-profit that helps communities build and maintain self-governed telecommunications, in partnership with people and organisations in the global South.

Over the years, Dr. Mallalieu’s rich service portfolio has included membership on several boards, commissions, committees and technical working groups at institutional, national and regional levels in operational as well as advisory roles. She frequently sits on panels of judges for technical competitions, internships and prestigious programmes; and is a member of the Caribbean Spectrum Management Task Force.

In her capacity as deputy chairman of the Board of the Telecommunications Authority of Trinidad and Tobago (TATT), Dr. Mallalieu has represented and spoken on behalf of the Authority at numerous national, regional and international conferences, including statutory meetings of the ITU. She is also chairman of the Authority’s Board Review Committee, and a member of its Audit Committee.

As a keen advocate for gender equality for development, Dr. Mallalieu is Vice Chair of the Advisory Board for the Network of Women (NOW) in the Development Sector of the ITU (ITU-D). She is also a member of the Caribbean Association of National Telecommunications Organizations (CANTO) Women in ICT (WICT) Committee, and chair of the Diversity Mainstreaming Committee in UWI’s Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering. Her related works include the ITU/ETC report on Women, ICT and emergency telecommunications, and she authored the feature article in the Caribbean Telecommunications Union (CTU)’s inaugural In the K-NOW communique which encourages women to take on leadership roles in the telecommunications sector, with particular emphasis on meaningful participation in ITU statutory meetings.

In other capacities, Dr. Mallalieu has led national, regional and international initiatives variously designed to build capacity in ICT policy, regulation, development, application and use. Among other credentials she holds a Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering from MIT and a PhD in Electrical and Electronic Engineering from University College London. She is a licensed amateur radio and GMDSS short range operator, and a member of Radio Emergency Associated Communication Teams (REACT). She is also a Fulbright Fellow and the recipient of local, regional and international teaching and research awards, and other awards of distinction.

Dr. Mallalieu is married with three grown sons; and spends much of her spare time as Schutzhund handler for her working dog, Jax Vom Haus Compton.