Ali M. Ussi was born in 1978 in South Region – Unguja. He obtained his primary and lower Secondary education at Unguja Ukuu School from 1986 – 1995. He then joined Lumumba Secondary School for O-level and A-level studies. He obtained his Bachelor’s, Master’s, and PhD degrees in Aquatic Sciences at the University of Dares Salaam Tanzania in 2004, 2009 and 2014, respectively. Besides his administrative duties, Ali is active in research, primarily interested in coral reef ecology and dynamics. Using his skills in biostatistics, Ali has been co-researching with different disciplines, ranging from social, medical and natural sciences, playing a pivotal role in designing the research methodology and data analysis.

Ali’s primary functions as a Deputy Vice Chancellor for Academics, Research and Consultancy include facilitating learning through the teaching of academic programmes and managing the conducting of research in the university. Likewise, he is responsible for smoothly running and developing academic programmes and managing academic resources. He is accountable for all matters of academic management, quality, control and assurance in the university.

For this position, Ali has been sharing his experience in academic administration and management with education management and regulatory bodies in Tanzania and the East African Region at large, through membership and chairmanship, in facilitating the improvement of education quality. Such bodies include the Consultative Body of the Office of Chief Inspector of Education in Zanzibar, the Board of Lumumba Secondary School Zanzibar, the Quality Assurance Committee of the Inter-University Council of East Africa, and the Board of Tanzania Institute of Education.