About me
I serve as Secretary to the Board of Trustees as the UK National Programme Coordinator at the British Institute in eastern Africa, one of the British Academy's International Research Institutes (BIRI). I recently completed a MRes in Anthropological Research Methods at the University of London's SOAS. My thesis is built on the junction of critical race theory and algorithmic design, notably unconcious bias. It focuses on specific biases observed in data sets, unfair and unintended outcomes of algorithmic design and machine learning, and whether emerging technologies can be built to revise their own biases when encountering alternative ontologies and modes of existence.
The majority of this research combines decolonial autoethnography (with an emphasis on my own biases as a "white" researcher situated in academia and Anthropology more broadly) with classical ethnographic methods, and an emphasis on epistemological concerns related to "studying up" in anthropological theory. I intend to undertake extensive multi-sited fieldwork with data scientists in London, Kenya, and Mozambique as part of this research.
Outside of academia, I have spent fourteen years outside of working with communities in Kenya's Amboseli National Park and as an independent researcher for NGOs and industry clients in Kenya, Tanzania, and the United Kingdom. I also adore African Languages and aim to develop a linguistic project with the Mwani communities in the Quirmbas National Park in northern Mozambique and I translate from time to time.
I have spoken at international academic conferences, taught Swahili and Lingustics at Cambridge University, and directed stakeholder engagement methods for a HM Treasury's national research project. Currently, I manage the BIEA Research Processes Course, which attracts Postdoctoral and PhD researchers from around the globe, and co-design interactive workshops and events with academics, artists, and researchers. I have recently finished a postgraduate diploma at the University of Oxford, and I am currently co-designing a new online Data Science and analysis course for 2022/23 with leading scholars in the field of African Studies.
Work history
Swahili Research AssociateGoogle
London, United KingdomFreelance
Short term consultancy looking at the future of climate change-related disasters in East Africa and how technological solutions can meaningfully help preparedness, mitigate risk and build resilience for Google Crisis Response.
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National Programme Cooridnator/ Predoctoral ResearcherBritish Institute in Eastern Africa
Nairobi, KenyaFull Time
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Skills
- Research Design
- Qualitative Research
- Quantitative Analysis
- Project Management
- Localisation
- Multilingual Translation
- Public Speaking
- Event Management
- Governance
- Budget Management
Education
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Effective Online Course DesignThe University of Oxford
Oxford, United Kingdom
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MRes Anthropological Research MethodsSOAS
- 32 Russell Sq, London WC1B 5DN, UK
Grade: Summa cum laude
The MRes is designed to develop research skills to the level prescribed by the ESRC’s research training guidelines.
Dissertation: Race Against the Machines: Can we talk about whiteness in Algorithmic design?
Directed Readings in an African Language (Kiswahili & Kimwani), Quantitative (SPSS chi-square tests, the T-test, F-test, and the rank correlation test, linear regression analysis)and Qualitative research methods, Theoretical approaches to social anthropology.
Awards
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SOAS Academic Excellence AwardSOAS
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British Institute in Eastern Africa Research FellowshipBritish Institute in Eastern Africa
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