Owade Joan is a Lecturer and the Head of Department in the Department of Journalism and Media Studies under the College of Humanities and Social Sciences, Kampala International University. 

She was awarded a Bachelor of Mass Communication and Master of Arts in Human Rights and Development from Kampala International University (KIU) and is currently completing a PhD in Conflict Resolution and Peace Building also from KIU. 

As the Head of Department of Journalism and Media Studies, Joan has been instrumental in a number of college and university-wide activities including, the quarterly guest lectureship initiative which she started in 2017 and have constantly invited top media professionals to speak and motivate journalism students. She was involved in streamlining the undergraduate curriculum for the Department. In the last 3 years, under her stewardship, students of Journalism have won over 5 national awards in the field of Media and Communication.

Her specialization and research interests include Communication (Public Relations, Public Speaking and Advertising), Peace studies, Gender policies, and Human Rights.

She has published academic peer-reviewed journals and is currently working on a paper addressing the incessant electoral violence in Kenya and the role of the media in de-escalating the violence.