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About RAMP Lab
Who we are
RAMP Lab is a computational research group within the UB Department of Physics. Our research is built around climate datasets, statistical analysis, and software tools - and we collaborate widely across SADC and internationally.
We are also developing hands-on instrumentation capabilities: a 3D-printer and 3D-PAWS (3D-Printed Automatic Weather Station) facility will allow the lab to fabricate low-cost weather stations, support BDMS in operational deployments, and give meteorology students at UB direct experience building the instruments they will eventually rely on.
Institutional Home
Where we sit within the University of Botswana
Mission & Vision
Why we do this work
Mission
To develop and deploy climate information that supports development across Southern Africa - grounded in rigorous science, designed for operational use, and produced in partnership with the institutions that serve the region.
Vision
A Southern Africa where climate knowledge directly supports development - powered by a strong, Africa-led scientific enterprise working in close partnership with the global research community.
Science Partners
International research partnerships
RAMP Lab works closely with international science partners whose datasets and methods underpin much of our research. Most prominently, we collaborate with the UCSB Climate Hazards Center (CHC), developers of CHIRPS, CHIRPS-GEFS, and CHIRTS, and a long-standing partner in the FEWS NET science network. Dr. Magadzire serves as Regional Scientist for Southern Africa with the CHC, and CHC researchers engage directly with the lab; in October 2025 Dr. Greg Husak delivered a visiting-scientist lecture on rainfall estimation and climate hazards monitoring across Africa.
We also partner with UCAR/COMET on the 3D-PAWS programme, NASA Goddard on climate applications, and the Botswana Department of Meteorological Services on operational climate services and gridded data blending. These partnerships keep RAMP Lab connected to global climate science while our research agenda remains rooted in Southern African development priorities.