Neema Mduma

Biography

Dr. Neema Mduma is a computer scientist and a lecturer in the school of Computational and Communication Sciences and Engineering (CoCSE) at the Nelson Mandela African Institution of Science and Technology (NM-AIST). She is passionate about education, and during her PhD she developed a Machine Learning tool called BakiShule, which identifies students who are at risk of dropping out of school for early intervention.

Dr. Mduma has been among the advisors of a peer educators’ group that voluntarily promotes STEM education to youth particularly girls through storytelling, exhibitions and workshops. She is also a Principal investigator (PI) for several projects that uses emerging technologies such as Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML) to address challenges in agriculture, health and education sectors.

Dr. Mduma also serves as a reviewer for scientific journals, workshops and conferences including the International Conference of Machine Learning (ICML), Association for Computing Machinery (ACM), Black in Artificial Intelligence (BAI) and Women in Machine Learning (WiML). Most recently, she was appointed by the Minister of State, President’s Office Planning and Investment as a member of technical team that will coordinate and draft the Tanzania Development Vision 2050.

Awards