Yazidu Salihu
School of Science, Engineering & Environment
Biography
Yazidu Buba Salihu, PhD, PMP, AFHEA, is a computer scientist and software engineering researcher who earned his PhD from the University of Salford, UK. Prior to his doctoral studies, he served as the Head of IT and Computing for Primary Healthcare in Taraba, Nigeria, where he spearheaded a diverse range of healthcare initiatives, including health financing frameworks and maternal and child health projects funded by global organisations such as Gavi, WHO, UNICEF, and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. In tandem with his public health work, he has championed his family business, YBS JEEN GLOBAL NETWORK LTD, successfully delivering multi-million Naira IT and renewable energy projects since 2014.
Dr Salihu's doctoral research focused on designing an empirically grounded process model for Agile practitioners developing medical and healthcare software. His broader research interests span socio-technical systems, empirical software engineering, and AI in digital health systems, with a particular emphasis on integrating regulatory compliance into Agile development workflows. During his time at the University of Salford, he also contributed to academic leadership as an hourly-paid Academic and a Postgraduate Research Representative within the School of Science, Engineering and Environment.
An active researcher, Dr Salihu has published his findings in reputable international outlets, including IET Software, Springer Nature, the Journal of International Technology and Information Management, and Communications of the IIMA. He has presented his work at leading international conferences, such as the European Mediterranean Conference on Information Systems (EMCIS, Dubai, 2023), the International Federation for Information Processing (IFIP) WG 9.4 conference (Cape Town, 2024), and the IIMA conference (USA, 2025). He has also been a regular participant at the Salford Postgraduate Annual Research Conference (SPARC) and the ICT4D North of England lecture series from 2023 through 2025, alongside serving the academic community as a peer reviewer.
Dr Salihu holds the globally recognised Project Management Professional (PMP) credential, is an Associate Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (AFHEA) and holds a professional manager certification from the Nigerian Institute of Management (Chartered). He maintains active professional memberships in the British Computer Society (BCS), the Institution of Engineering and Technology (MIET), and the Computer Professionals of Nigeria (CPN).
Areas of Research
Socio-technical systems, empirical software engineering, and AI in digital health systems, Teaching and learning with a particular emphasis on integrating regulatory compliance into Agile software development workflow.
• Empirical Software Engineering
• Software Evolution
• Business Information Systems
• Socio-technical Sotware Engineering
• AI in health
• Software Project with Agile Techniques (SPAT)
• IT Security
• Database Development
• IT Project Management
• Research Methods
• Experiential and Project-Based Learning
Qualifications
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Computer Science
2022 - 2026 -
Information Systems
2017 - 2019 -
Community Health
2010 - 2015