The webinar seeks to:
- Showcase roles and responsibilities of diverse professionals working in statistics and data-related fields.
- Share lessons and pivotal moments that helped shape the speakers’ career trajectories.
- Recommend practical resources—courses, platforms, networks, and tools—that early-career statisticians can use to enhance their skills and explore career options.
- Facilitate a cross-regional dialogue between young statisticians from Africa and the UK, fostering mutual learning and future collaboration.
The webinar is open to early-career statisticians and data scientists, University students studying statistics, mathematics, or related fields, members of YSS and YASA, young professionals in data-related roles, academic advisors and mentors and industry players interested in contributing to the vision of young statisticians. Although the focus of the webinar will be primarily on young African statisticians, we encourage young statisticians from other backgrounds to participate and engage in reshaping the future of the statistical profession.
By the end of the webinar, participants will:
- Gain inspiration and clarity about potential career paths in statistics
- Understand the real-world application of statistical skills in various sectors
- Be equipped with a curated list of learning and career development resources
- Strengthen cross-network connections between African and UK-based young statisticians
In today’s data-driven world, the field of statistics continues to evolve rapidly, offering diverse and impactful career opportunities across sectors including academia, government, industry, international development, and more. However, many early-career statisticians and students, especially in Africa or of African descent, have limited access to role models, mentorship, and clear guidance on how to navigate and thrive in these varied pathways.
This joint webinar, hosted by YSS and YASA, aims to bridge that gap by bringing together diverse and accomplished statisticians of African descent in Africa and worldwide to share their personal career journeys, key lessons learned, and practical resources that have shaped and supported their professional development.
Gbenga Kazeem
“ Gbenga Kazeem holds an MPhil in Statistical Science from the University of Cambridge and a DPhil in Applied Statistics from the University of Oxford, U.K. Following the completion of his doctorate degree in 2006, he moved to pharmaceutical industry where he worked in drug discovery and across various phases of clinical drug development and commercialisation. He has extensive experience in statistical methodologies especially in Medical Statistics and a passion for advancing scientific research. He has over 25 peer-reviewed journal publications. In the last 20years, he has worked with various companies including AstraZeneca, Eli Lilly, Astellas Pharma, Cambridge Epigenetix. Gbenga excels in delivering data-driven insights. He is presently a Director in Statistics for Medical and Market Access studies in Oncology at GSK.
Known for his excellent communication acumen and leadership skills, he effectively collaborates with diverse teams to solve complex problems. He actively contributes to the wider scientific community, leveraging his skills to drive innovation and knowledge sharing. He is the founder of BenKaz Statistical Consulting, U.K. and provides expert statistical consulting services.”
Esau Atwongyeire
Esau Atwongyeire is a Monitoring, Evaluation, Accountability, and Learning (MEAL) Specialist at Finn Church Aid (FCA) Uganda, with over a decade of experience in humanitarian and development contexts biased towards Action Research, data governance, statistical literacy and knowledge management. At FCA, Esau spear heads program data management, learning and documentation initiatives and lead action research interventions related disability and inclusion. He sits on the research and learning committee at FCA. Currently he is also technical member at Information Management Task team at the Education Response Plan Secretariate-Uganda supporting strategic planning for Education in Emergencies in Uganda. He is a member of the Royal Statistical Society (RSS)-UK and Sits on the committee for International Development Section. Esau holds a Master of Science in Monitoring and Evaluation from Uganda Martyrs University, a Postgraduate Diploma in Demography, and a bachelor’s degree in Population Studies from Makerere University.
Esau is a member of the Young African Statisticians Association (YASA) and serves as a research fellow at the Population and Social Development Institute. Esau is passionate about methodological research on impact evaluations targeting technical vocation Trainings (TVET) and psychosocial resilience programs.
He has worked on related papers with teams at African Population and Health Research Centre and Uganda Martyrs University respectively.
Previously, Esau worked as a research fellow at the Centre for Population and Applied Statistics at Makerere University. He has coordinated high-impact projects, funded by World Bank, USAID, LEGO foundation, MasterCard UNICEF and UNHCR, and coordinated evidence-driven initiatives in Uganda and beyond. Additionally, Esau has organized numerous research and learning panels, fostering knowledge management, and has developed various learning strategies for Finn Church Aid, Ministry of Gender Labour and social development and designed strategic plans for Ministry of Tourism and The Uganda Tourism Board among others. Esau is a former a chief Editor at the Uganda Statistical Society in 2016 and the President of Makerere University School of Statistics Students association 2014 to 2015.
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