Burton Mwamila is a Tanzanian academic and engineering professional with a 1984 PhD degree in structural engineering from the Royal Institute of Technology in Sweden. He was the founding Chairman of Tanzania’s National Council for Technical Education from 1999-2007, and the founding Principal of the College of Engineering and Technology of the University of Dar es Salaam from 2005-2009. He also served as the Chairman of Tanzania’s Engineers Registration Board from 2000- 06, and the Tanzania Commission for Science and Technology from 2006-2013. Furthermore, he served as Member of the Governing Council of the African Network of Scientific and Technological Institutions from 2000-09, and Chairman of the Executive Board of the Pan-African Competitiveness Forum from 2008-2014. He is currently the Chairman of the Tanzania Automotive Technology Centre since 2011, and the Vice Chancellor of the Nelson Mandela African Institution of Science and Technology in Arusha (NM-AIST) since its establishment in July 2009.