The African Institute for Mathematical Sciences (AIMS) and the Institute for Data Valorization (IVADO) are pleased to announce the successful completion of the second cohort of the AIMS-IVADO Data Science Fellowship program. This collaborative initiative resumed following the recent lifting of COVID-19 international travel restrictions and the reopening of in-person academic activities. From September to December 2022, nine (9) AIMS alumni (six women and three men) participated in competitive, merit-based applied research projects supervised by professors from IVADO partner universities (HEC Montreal, Polytechnique de Montreal and Université de Montreal). The latest promotional video is available via the IVADO YouTube channel. A third cohort of seven (7) additional fellows will be recruited over the next few months and will travel to Montreal to begin their work-integrated learning (WIL) projects in Spring 2023.
First launched in summer 2019, the AIMS-IVADO Data Science Fellowship program provides Africa’s brightest youths the unique opportunity to conduct world-class applied research, as well as direct access to an extended network of senior scholars, researchers, and peers to advance scholarly research which otherwise might have gone unrealized. The inaugural cohort from 2019 has since moved on and are currently making their mark in the field of data science and AI, as well as pursuing further post-graduate studies. Additional information on the outcomes of the first cohort of AIMS-IVADO fellows can be found in this report.
AIMS recognizes WIL as an important modality in advancing knowledge and innovation and has become an integral component of the network’s strategic plan. Similarly, internationalisation efforts represent a means of transcending knowledge boundaries, expanding academic horizon, generating new knowledge, and acquiring globally transferable skills.
In this regard, the AIMS-IVADO Data Science Fellowship program has become a signature activity to scale partnerships and transfer innovation to Africa’s brightest minds.
Furthermore, the new knowledge, adaptive skills, and professional linkages which our graduates acquire during their fellowships will be leveraged in further post-graduate studies or the labour market upon their return to Africa. Finally, AIMS recognizes the generous contributions of IVADO and the Canada Excellence Research Chairs program for making this initiative possible.
Contact: All enquiries must be sent to aii@nexteinstein.org.