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Maria Keet

Associate professor in Computer Science, University of Cape Town
Dr. C. Maria Keet (PhD, MSc, MA, BSc(hons)) is an Associate Professor with the Department of Computer Science, University of Cape Town. She focuses on knowledge engineering and conceptual data modelling, which has resulted in around 150 peer-reviewed publications at venues including FOIS, KR, EKAW, ESWC, ER, CIKM, Applied Ontology, Data and Knowledge Engineering, and the Journal of Biomedical Informatics. She is PI on a NRF-funded project on a natural language generation for Nguni languages, and was PI on an DST/MINCyT-funded bi-lateral project with Argentina on ontology-driven conceptual modelling, among others. She was involved in several EU-funded projects, and has reviewed for many journals and international conferences and workshops. She is an NRF-rated researcher. She also wrote an award-winning textbook on ontology engineering.
Before her employment at UCT, Maria was Senior lecturer at the School of Computer Science, University of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa and before that, an Assistant Professor at the KRDB Research Centre, Free University of Bozen-Bolzano, Italy. She obtained a PhD in Computer Science at the KRDB Research Centre in 2008, following a BSc(honours) 1st class in IT & Computing from the Open University UK in 2004, and 3.5 years work experience as systems engineer in the IT industry. In addition to computer science, she obtained an MSc in Food Science (Microbiology) from Wageningen University and Research Centre, the Netherlands, in 1998, and an MA 1st class in Peace & Development Studies from the University of Limerick, Ireland, in 2003.

A computer science technique could help gauge when the pandemic is 'over'

Mar 21, 2022 15:11 pm UTC| Technology

In early 2022, nearly two years after Covid was declared a pandemic by the World Health Organization, experts are mulling a big question: when is a pandemic over? So, whats the answer? What criteria should be used to...

Economy

Gold Prices Rebound Near Key Levels as U.S.-Iran Tensions Boost Safe-Haven Demand

Gold prices climbed sharply during early Asian trading on Wednesday, moving back toward key psychological levels as renewed geopolitical tensions between the United States and Iran revived safe-haven demand. The rebound...

Oil Prices Climb as Middle East Tensions and U.S. Inventory Data Boost Market Sentiment

Oil prices rose on Wednesday, extending gains from the previous session as geopolitical tensions in the Middle East intensified and fresh industry data pointed to a sharp decline in U.S. crude stockpiles. The combination...

China Services PMI Hits Three-Month High as New Orders and Hiring Improve

Chinas services sector showed signs of renewed momentum in January, expanding at its fastest pace in three months as stronger new orders lifted activity and pushed hiring to its highest level since mid-2025, according to a...

Stephen Miran Resigns as White House Economic Adviser Amid Federal Reserve Tenure

Federal Reserve Governor Stephen Miran has formally resigned from his role as chair of the White House Council of Economic Advisers (CEA), fulfilling a commitment he made to the U.S. Senate as his tenure at the Federal...

Paul Atkins Emphasizes Global Regulatory Cooperation at Fintech Conference

Paul Atkins, Chairman of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), highlighted the growing importance of international regulatory cooperation during a fintech and regulation conference held in Brussels on Tuesday....

Politics

U.S. Condemns South Africa’s Expulsion of Israeli Diplomat Amid Rising Diplomatic Tensions

The United States has sharply criticized South Africas recent decision to expel Israels top diplomat, calling the move politically motivated and harmful to diplomatic norms. The condemnation was delivered on Tuesday by...

Russia Prepares for Post–New START Era as U.S.-Russia Nuclear Arms Control Nears Collapse

Russia has declared it is prepared for a new global security reality in which there are no U.S.-Russian nuclear arms control limits, as the New START treaty is set to expire this week. The landmark agreement, signed in...

Trump Plans Call With Savannah Guthrie After Mother’s Disappearance, Federal Support Considered

U.S. President Donald Trump said Tuesday that he plans to personally reach out to NBC News anchor Savannah Guthrie following the disappearance of her 84-year-old mother, Nancy Guthrie, a case that authorities now believe...

UK and US Reaffirm Strategic Importance of Diego Garcia Base Amid Chagos Sovereignty Dispute

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and U.S. President Donald Trump have reaffirmed the strategic importance of the U.S.-UK military air base on Diego Garcia in the Chagos Archipelago, committing to close cooperation to...

Trump, Petro Discuss Sanctions and Strengthening U.S.–Colombia Relations After Oval Office Meeting

U.S. President Donald Trump said on Tuesday that he is working on potential sanctions and other cooperative measures with Colombian President Gustavo Petro following a meeting between the two leaders at the White House....

Science

NASA and SpaceX Target Crew-11 Undocking From ISS Amid Medical Concern

NASA has confirmed that the agency, in coordination with SpaceX, is targeting no earlier than 5 p.m. Eastern Time (2200 GMT) on Wednesday, January 14, for the undocking of the SpaceX Crew-11 mission from the International...

Neuralink Plans High-Volume Brain Implant Production and Fully Automated Surgery by 2026

Elon Musks brain-computer interface company Neuralink is preparing for a major expansion, announcing plans to begin high-volume production of its brain implant devices and transition to a fully automated surgical procedure...

Jared Isaacman Confirmed as NASA Administrator, Becomes 15th Leader of U.S. Space Agency

The U.S. Senate has officially confirmed billionaire private astronaut Jared Isaacman as the new NASA administrator, making him the 15th leader in the agencys history. The confirmation, which took place on Wednesday, marks...

Senate Sets December 8 Vote on Trump’s NASA Nominee Jared Isaacman

The U.S. Senate Commerce Committee announced it will vote on December 8 on President Donald Trumps renewed nomination of private astronaut and tech entrepreneur Jared Isaacman to lead NASA. Isaacman, known for his...

NASA Cuts Boeing Starliner Missions as SpaceX Pulls Ahead

NASA has significantly scaled back Boeings Starliner program after years of technical issues and delays, announcing that the next Starliner mission to the International Space Station (ISS) will fly without astronauts. The...

Technology

AMD Shares Slide Despite Earnings Beat as Cautious Revenue Outlook Weighs on Stock

Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) delivered a solid quarterly earnings beat, topping Wall Street expectations on both revenue and profit, yet its stock slipped in extended trading after the company projected a sequential...

Nintendo Shares Slide After Earnings Miss Raises Switch 2 Margin Concerns

Nintendo shares fell sharply on Wednesday after the Japanese gaming giant reported weaker-than-expected fiscal third-quarter results, intensifying investor concerns over profitability and margins tied to its highly...

Elon Musk’s SpaceX Acquires xAI in Historic Deal Uniting Space and Artificial Intelligence

Elon Musk announced on Monday that SpaceX has acquired his artificial intelligence startup xAI in a landmark deal that brings together his ambitions in space exploration and advanced AI technology. The acquisition combines...

Google Cloud and Liberty Global Forge Strategic AI Partnership to Transform European Telecom Services

Google Cloud, one of Alphabets fastest-growing divisions, has entered into a five-year strategic partnership with Liberty Global aimed at accelerating the adoption of artificial intelligence and cloud technologies across...

Palantir Stock Jumps After Strong Q4 Earnings Beat and Upbeat 2026 Revenue Forecast

Palantir Technologies Inc (NASDAQ: PLTR) delivered a strong fourth-quarter earnings report, beating Wall Street expectations on both revenue and profit while issuing a significantly stronger-than-expected outlook for 2026....