Foremost African data expert, Dr Uyi Stewart has been appointed the Chief Data and Technology Officer, Data.org, effective August 15, 2022.
In this newly-created position, Uyi will provide senior technical leadership in all aspects of data.org’s work, with a particular focus on our programmatic initiatives, which today include the Inclusive Growth and Recovery Challenge, the Capacity Accelerator Network, and Epiverse.
Uyi will play a critical role in designing and building new initiatives, leveraging his global network to drive inclusive co-creation and strengthen outcomes.
He will also be responsible for data.org’s overall data strategy, leading the design, development, and implementation of advanced analytics to glean insights from data.org’s own data generated through its initiatives, and data from the wider social impact sector.
“Our rapid growth in scope and scale of our global initiatives have heightened our need for technical depth to conceive and evaluate programs, and to make use of the increasing volume of data informing our overall work today” said Danil Mikhailov, executive director at data.org. “We are delighted to be working with an esteemed data and technology leader to bring oversight and insight to our efforts, and to deepen our networks globally, particularly in Africa.”
Previously, Uyi served as an executive director of data science, Technical Operations, at Seagen Inc., where he focused on the digitalization of biologics data to accelerate the development of transformative cancer drugs. Prior to that, he was the executive director at AI Commons, a non-profit focused on democratizing access to AI in emerging markets.
Uyi was a director of global development’s strategy, data and analytics at the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, centralizing the use of data to fight disease, poverty, and inequity.
He was also a Distinguished Engineer, co-founder and Chief Scientist, at IBM Research — Africa, where he pioneered the use of big data to combat the Ebola outbreak in West Africa, and other ML/AI solutions to address societal challenges across the African continent. He continues to serve as Chair of Data Scientists Network’s board of directors.
Uyi holds a Ph.D. in Linguistics from McGill University. He has 15 patents, has authored 65 publications, and has been involved in the implementation of hundreds of innovative digital solutions across Africa, Asia, and the USA.
“Spending the past year on the Epiverse Advisory Board gave me an early look at data.org, its innovative initiatives, and commitment to providing a bellwether platform for partnerships to build the field of data science for social impact,” said Uyi. “I am thrilled to be joining this team, and look forward to leading the data strategy propelling our initiatives and our organization forward — and maximizing our social impact to make a purposeful difference in people’s lives.”
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