Masters Thesis Defense

After a challenging 2-year journey of Master’s studies schedule, I am overjoyed to share that on 1st December 2023, I successfully defended my Masters thesis! It's been an incredible adventure.

Throughout my Master\’s program, I have gained comprehensive knowledge and practical experience in various aspects of embedded systems and hardware design. I attended several classes such as Computer Architecture, Operating Systems, design and development of embedded systems, Research Methods, and System-on-Chip (SoC) Design that allowed me to explore the design of complex embedded systems and SoC architectures, FPGA and VLSI, and prototyping using the Xilinx-AMD tool chain, including Vivado and Vitis.

Defending my thesis on FPGA-Based System-on-Chip for X-Ray Image Analysis. Moreover, my master’s research project titled "Designing an FPGA-Based System-on-Chip for X-Ray Image Analysis and Tuberculosis Detection", where we were exploring the use of SoC architectures in X-ray image analysis for Tuberculosis detection. The project classifies X-Ray images using deep neural networks that run on an FPGA-based SoC for fast inference and low power usage. The Kria KV260 Vision AI Starter Kit from Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) was used as the prototyping platform. This research project allowed me to develop practical skills in FPGA and VLSI design implementation, and verification using vendor toolchain. I extensively worked with Vivado, Vitis, the Vivado Simulator, and ModelSim; used standard protocols such as the AMBA AXI (memory-mapped and streaming) and UART.

It wouldn’t be possible to reach this point without the support of some amazing individuals:

After Defending my Thesis First and foremost, a huge thank you to my supervisor Joel Mandebi, PhD for your guidance, expertise, and unwavering support throughout this demanding journey. Your mentorship has been invaluable, and I am grateful for the knowledge and skills I've gained not only academic life, but you have also contributed a lot to my carrier.

A special shoutout to my co-supervisor Dr. Omar GATERA, whose insights and feedback have been instrumental in shaping the quality and depth of my research. Your contributions have made my work possible at all.

I would also like to thank the World Bank Group through African Center of Excellence in Internet of Things, University of Rwanda for the great financial support throughout my Master’s studies.

Gratitude also extends to the fantastic group of individuals who played a vital role in this 2-year journey. Your encouragement, discussions, and collaborative spirit have made this experience richer and more fulfilling. This journey reaffirms my belief in the power of lifelong learning, proving the quote by Nelson Mandela “It always seems impossible until it's done”. To my fellow classmate Teleza Kanthonga big shoutout to you for your support, friends, and family – thank you for being part of this incredible chapter!