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Hello, I'm

Joanita (Anita) Nakityo

Software Engineer

Graduate research experience in systems security, Rust, and systems programming.
I build software ranging from systems research to full-stack development.

Contact Me
Portrait of Joanita Nakityo.

Work

A selection of projects from research, academic coursework, and professional practice.

Graduate Research

Master's Research Project in Systems Security

Explored methods for improving security between Rust applications and external native-code components.

  • Rust
  • Systems Security
  • Compilers

Details withheld pending thesis release in 2027.

Systems Project

Chunked Bump Allocator with Selective Reset

Built a Rust memory allocator that supports selective memory reclamation for allocations with different lifetimes.

  • Rust
  • Memory Management
  • RAII
View Code on GitHub ↗
Computer Architecture Project

Context-Switch Adaptive TLB Prefetching

Co-designed a TLB prefetching approach that preserves process-specific state across context switches.

  • ChampSim
  • C++
  • Virtual Memory

Team project with Hyeonseok Oh

Security Design Project

On-Demand PKRU Updates

Co-designed a domain-management approach for using Intel Memory Protection Keys more efficiently.

  • Intel MPK
  • PKRU
  • Memory Isolation

Team project with Hyeonseok Oh

More on GitHub

Technical Writing

Articles on security, systems programming, and software development.

View on Hashnode View on Medium

Experience

  1. Graduate Student Researcher

    Sep 2024 – 2026

    Computer Systems Security Lab, UNIST

    • Conducted graduate research in systems security, systems programming, and memory safety.
    • Designed, implemented, and evaluated research prototypes.
    • Performed benchmarking and performance analysis.
    • Reviewed programming assignments and provided technical feedback as a Teaching Assistant.

  2. Project Manager

    Jan 2022 – Jul 2024

    Alfajiri Innovations Limited

    • Managed software projects from planning through delivery.
    • Coordinated project requirements, timelines, stakeholders, and development activities.
    • Maintained documentation and tracked deliverables and milestones.

  3. Women in Tech Placement

    Sep 2023 – Dec 2023

    Stanbic Bank Uganda

    • Received practical training in robotic process automation, software development, and digital transformation.
    • Developed automation workflows and contributed to process analysis.
    • Earned an RPA Developer certification.

  4. Junior Software Engineer

    Nov 2022 – Oct 2023

    Ubunifu Systems

    • Contributed to frontend and backend web application development.
    • Developed features using JavaScript and Firebase technologies.
    • Participated in software design, testing, and debugging.

  5. Developer and Instructor Intern

    Jun 2022 – Aug 2022

    Ablestate

    • Taught introductory HTML, CSS, JavaScript, and Bootstrap.
    • Guided students in building an e-commerce website from Figma designs.
    • Developed a JavaScript quiz application and learning materials.
Joanita Nakityo in graduation attire at Makerere University

Education

  • Master of Science in Computer Science and Engineering

    2024 – 2026

    Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology (UNIST)

    Research area: Systems security and secure systems programming

  • Bachelor of Science in Software Engineering

    2019 – 2023

    Makerere University (MUK)

Core Skills

  • Systems Security
  • Rust
  • C / C++
  • Linux
  • Systems Programming
  • Secure Software Development

Selected Credentials

Get in Touch

I'm open to new opportunities, collaborations, and conversations. Reach me through any of the channels below.