Tag: data science

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Meet Prof Clement Nthambazale Nyirenda

Prof Clement Nthambazale Nyirenda obtained a BSc in Electrical Engineering from the University of Malawi in 2000, an MScEng in Computer Engineering from the University of KwaZulu-Natal in 2007, and a PhD in Computational Intelligence and Systems Science from the Institute of Science Tokyo (formerly Tokyo Institute of Technology) in 2011. After a postdoctoral stint at Keio University, Japan, he worked as Lecturer/Senior Lecturer at the University of Namibia for 6 years before joining UWC’s Department of Computer Science as a Senior Lecturer in October 2018. He became eResearch Director on 1 August 2023.

As eResearch Director, Prof Nyirenda leads UWC’s digital transformation of research, enabling data-driven innovation through advanced technologies and interdisciplinary collaboration. He oversees High-Performance Computing infrastructure expansion, generative AI integration, and research data management aligned with FAIR principles. Internally, he works closely with the Research Development and Postgraduate Studies (RDPS) Office, Information and Communication Services (ICS), the Scholarly Communications team in the Library, and the South African National Bioinformatics Institute (SANBI). His role alson includes strengthening collaborations with national initiatives such as CHPC, SANReN, DIRISA, and NITheCS, while fostering regional and global partnerships. He champions green computing practices, oversees sustainable research software acquisition and maintenance, and strives to establish UWC as an eResearch knowledge hub through workshops, training programs, and collaborative projects addressing Sustainable Development Goals.

Prof Nyirenda holds a dual appointment as Associate Professor in the Department of Computer Science, where he teaches Artificial Intelligence at Honours level and leads the Computational Intelligence Research Group, supervising postgraduate students at postdoctoral, PhD, MSc and Honours levels. His research expertise spans Computational and Artificial Intelligence paradigms in Communication Networks, Smart Energy Systems, Smart Water Infrastructure, and Dentistry. He serves as Associate Editor for the Journal of Advanced Computational Intelligence and Intelligent Informatics (JACIII).

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UKUDLA: Call for postdoctoral fellowship applications for 2025

Call for postdoctoral fellowship applications 2025

The African German Centre of Excellence for Sustainable and Resilient Food Systems and Applied Agricultural and Food Data Science (UKUDLA) invites applications for postdoctoral fellowships in the area of sustainable, resilient food systems and data science. Fellowships will be awarded for a period of 24 months. The fellowship is financed by the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) with funds from the German Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture.

About UKUDLA

UKUDLA’s mission is to empower a new generation of scientists through advanced training in agri-food systems and applied data science. The programme supports academic development, encourages mentorship, and fosters collaboration across African and German institutions.
The fellowship programme contributes to:
• Increasing research capacity in food systems and data science within Sub-Saharan Africa
• Strengthening regional and institutional academic networks
• Promoting research that is responsive to local challenges and aligned with global standards
• Enhancing knowledge exchange between African and German partners

Research Focus Areas

Fellows will conduct independent research within the themes of:
• Sustainable and resilient food systems
• Agricultural and food data science
• Interdisciplinary areas that connect these two fields
Research proposals should demonstrate relevance, innovation, and potential for impact.

Eligibility Criteria

This opportunity is open to African nationals or permanent residents who:
• Hold a PhD (awarded within the past six years) in a field relevant to food systems or data science
• Are not currently engaged in another postdoctoral fellowship
• Can demonstrate leadership potential and/or a commitment to community engagement
• Possess English language proficiency (TOEFL 79/80, IELTS 6, or proof of English as a language of instruction)

Participating Institutions

Selected fellows will be based full-time at one of the following UKUDLA partner universities:
• University of the Western Cape (South Africa)
• University of Mpumalanga (South Africa)
• University of Pretoria (South Africa)
• Lilongwe University of Natural and Agricultural Sciences (Malawi)

Fellowship Benefits

• Stipend: €1670/month for 24 months
• Training: Access to UKUDLA’s modules, workshops, and short courses
• Exchange Opportunity: Optional 3–6 month academic visit to a German partner institution
• Conference Support: Travel grant to present research at Tropentag (abstract submission required)
• Research Support: Funding for equipment, materials, travel, etc.
• Mentorship: Guidance from experienced academics and integration into regional research communities

Application Requirements

Applicants must submit:
• Completed application form [link]
• Project proposal form [download link]
• National ID or passport
• Two academic recommendation letters (one from your PhD/fellowship supervisor)
• Certified degrees and transcripts
• Short CV (max. 2 pages), including selected publications
• Proof of English proficiency
• Motivational statement (250 words each on your research interest, career impact, community impact, and academic journey)

Expectations from Fellows

• Conduct original and impactful research
• Contribute to teaching and mentorship of MSc and PhD students
• Participate in conferences, workshops, and academic writing
• Publish in peer-reviewed journals
• Engage in UKUDLA’s academic and outreach activities

How to Apply

Submit your application online via the University of Pretoria application portal

For queries or questions, contact arua-sfs@up.ac.za

Deadline: 1 June 2025

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Postdoctoral position in Data Science for Food Systems

The eResearch Office at UWC is a division under the Deputy Vice-Chanellor Research and Innovation that promotes the use of information technology to enable fast and high impact research. Part of its mission is to drive and coordinate advanced uses of data-driven approaches to multi-, inter- and trans-disciplinary research in a dynamic environment for skills development and academic growth. A postdoctoral fellowship position is available for an outstanding candidate to undertake cutting-edge research in the development of data technology for sustainable food systems. The fellow will be awarded a tax-free fellowship for up to 2 years with opportunities for academic and personal development.

Prerequisites:

The prospective candidate should be a holder of a doctoral degree obtained within the past five years in the field related to Natural, Computer, Mathematical or Agricultural Sciences. The applicant should have interest and/or experience in modelling data of biological systems, be familiar with the concepts of sustainability within food systems and able to work without supervision, as well as in a team.

The successful candidate will be involved in the following roles:

– Conducting research in the area of data science applied to food systems
– Develop original research and publication
– Involvement in sourcing research grants
– Science engagement 
– May be requested to assist with various activities that support the eResearch agenda for the University.
– Mentor and support postgraduate students.


Interested candidates can send their CV and motivation letter to Dr Frederic Isingizwe at fisingizwe@uwc.ac.za or to Prof Clement Nyirenda at cnyirenda@uwc.ac.za.

The position remains open until filled.

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Opportunity: Zindi Ambassadors

Zindi, a Data Science platform and social enterprise with a focus on building a “data science ecosystem” in Africa, is looking for volunteer Ambassadors. The role will involve creating awareness in your own communities about data science and Zindi activities. Zindi’s mission is to build the data science ecosystem in Africa. They are a Cape Town-based company with a vision for a vibrant community of data scientists across Africa, mobilised towards solving the region’s most pressing problems.

Find out more and register to become an ambassador: https://bit.ly/3IViXPw

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Training Opportunity : Data Science and Machine Learning

A training opportunity for data science and machine learning is available and registration closes on 25 May.
 
Makerere University School of Public Health (MakSPH) in Kampala, Uganda, is working in partnership with four other African universities to research the COVID-19 response in Africa. Through the collaboration, a community of practice (COP) has been establised. It is aimed at developing the capacity of African institutions to prepare, analyse and respond to disease epidemics successfully.
 
As part of the COP, and in partnership with IBM Research Africa (IBMRA) scientists, who have expertise in artificial intelligence (AI), data science, and machine learning, the project has organised a capacity-building opportunity on data science and machine learning.
 
Participants interested in or with a background in data science, artificial intelligence, machine learning and cloud computing are encouraged to register. There is no minimum skill requirement aside from computer literacy.

Topics that will be covered include analysing the impact of COVID-19 on essential health services using time series analysis; learning from COVID-19 models to support what-if scenario analysis; and intervention planning and descriptive statistics to analyse NPIs implemented in African countries.

The training will be conducted online through Webex, with an expected engagement of about 2 hours every week. Facilitation will be in both English and French, and the programme will run until October 2022.

Interested participants can register here : https://shorturl.ae/Gd3EC
by 25 May 2022.

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CODATA-RDA School of Research Data Science – South Africa

The volume and variety of data that researchers and students are required to work with continues to grow. In order to work effectively with large datasets, data skills are becoming increasingly important, and can be enormously empowering.   

The Department of Information Science of the University of Pretoria, in collaboration with DIRISA, SADiLaR and NeDICC, presents the CODATA-RDA School of Research Data Science. This school is aimed at postgraduate students and early career researchers, and teaches foundational data science skills. The material covered by the programme is fundamental to all areas of research, and thus open to researchers and professionals from all disciplines that deal with significant amounts of research data. The goal is to provide a practical introduction to these topics with some theory and extensive hands-on training.

Topics covered include:
– Open Science
– Introduction to Unix Shell
– Introduction to Git
– Open and Collaborative Research
– Research Data Management
– Data Cleaning – using Open Refine
– Data Analysis and Visualisation – using R
– Data Intensive Social Science
– Author Carpentry
– Information Security
– Machine Learning and Neural Networks
– Research Computational Infrastructure

Please refer to the document below or the website (http://datascienceschools.co.za/) for more information. The deadline for applications is 31 March 2022. 

Flyer-Data-Science-summer-school-May-2022-Final-1Download
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Africa Women in Data Science: Online Event

DARA Big Data (Development in Africa through Radio Astronomy), in partnership with the Office of Astronomy for Development (OAD), IDIA (Inter-University Institute for Data Intensive Astronomy) and SARAO (South African Radio Astronomy Observatory) is hosting a free 3-day Africa Women in Data Science online event. The event will coincide with International Women’s Day 2022 and will also mark the one year anniversary of the publication of the SARAO Women in Data Science report.

The event organisers hope to help build a thriving African community of female data scientists and promote skills development for women who are interested data science careers. Registration for the event closes January 31 2022.

The event will take place from 8-10 March 2022, which coincides with International Women’s Day. It aims to increase African women’s participation in the 4th Industrial Revolution (4IR) to build a prosperous, resilient Africa of the future. The integral role of African women for the 4IR will be discussed and various opportunities will be showcased for young women hoping to get into the field of data science.

Africa Women in Data Science is free to attend and will be split into a conference on Day 1 (March 8) and a hackathon on Days 2 and 3 (March 9-10). The conference will feature inspiring female panel discussions, presentations from leading industry experts and question and answer sessions. Day 1 is open to anyone across Africa with a keen interest in data science. To register for the conference, only complete the first section of the registration form.

Register here: https://www.astro4dev.org/2022/01/11/registration-open-for-africa-women-in-data-science-event-iwd2022/

Enquiries can be emailed to linzi.stirrup@manchester.ac.uk