Julian Zaabu Kayikayi

Julian Zaabu Kayikayi is a Social Work professional from Makerere University, where she graduated among the top 0.5 percent of her year with First Class Honours. She is Co-founder and Research Lead at Research Code Respond, a youth-led initiative in Uganda that integrates social research and technology to address social challenges across Africa. At RCR, she leads the research agenda, designs the bootcamp curriculum, mentors young innovators, and currently leads project management for an ongoing project on women in male dominated professions. Her work is a testament to her commitment to digitizing social work.
Julian's work is driven by a deep commitment to the empowerment of youth, women and girls. She is a Young Female Leader with The Amazon Leadership Initiative, a community of young women across Africa committed to transformative leadership and social change. She advocates actively against gender-based discrimination, channelling that advocacy through research, writing, policy engagements at Chatham House, common future conversations and the design of practical tools that create safer and more equitable spaces for women.
Her field experience spans community development, child protection, psychosocial support, and HIV counselling across Uganda. She has presented research at the International Conference on Social Work and Social Development and completed an international programme on migration and refugees at Howest University in Bruges, Belgium. Her work and research consistently centre the experiences of refugees and marginalised communities, reflecting a long-standing commitment to social justice.
As an aspiring social work academic, Julian's key areas of focus are research, digital social work, youth empowerment, women empowerment, mental health, and refugee wellbeing. She believes that young Africans have the power to build the solutions their communities need and has dedicated her career to proving it.