About me

I am a Data Science graduate student at the University of Messina, with an academic focus on Machine Learning, Artificial Intelligence, and Research Software Engineering. My work is centered on the application of Open Science principles to create reproducible data solutions.

My professional background includes supporting RSSE Africa with community operations and event planning, as well as contributing to open-source infrastructure for FORRT. I have also served as a coordinator for the RSE Asia Australia Unconference and a facilitator for Open Life Science. My goal is to support collaborative research environments and promote greater accessibility and inclusivity in tech.

Research Interests

  • Data Science & Machine Learning

    Leveraging statistical analysis, machine learning, and AI for real-world problem solving.

  • Research Software Engineering

    Building sustainable software infrastructure for research communities worldwide.

  • Open Science & Reproducibility

    Advocating for transparent, reproducible research and open educational resources.

  • Community Building

    Fostering tech innovation and inclusive communities through mentorship and education.

Contributed to

Languages

  • English

    Fluent

  • French

    Fluent

  • Swahili

    Native

  • Italian

    Basic

Favorite Quotes

"The important thing is not to stop questioning. Curiosity has its own reason for existence."
– Albert Einstein
"The unexamined life is not worth living."
– Socrates
"If I have seen further, it is by standing on the shoulders of giants."
– Isaac Newton
"Intelligence is the ability to accomplish complex goals."
– Max Tegmark
"Deep work is the ability to focus without distraction on a cognitively demanding task."
– Cal Newport
"You do not rise to the level of your goals. You fall to the level of your systems."
– James Clear
"Practice isn't the thing you do once you're good. It's the thing you do that makes you good."
– Malcolm Gladwell
"The future belongs to those who learn more skills and combine them in creative ways."
– Robert Greene
"If you want something you've never had, you must be willing to do something you've never done."
– Thomas Jefferson
"Open Science is just science done right."
– Jon Tennant A core philosophy often cited by FORRT
"Reproducibility is like brushing your teeth. It’s good for you, it takes time and effort, and you should do it every day."
– Lorena A. Barba
"Scholarship is not just about the results; it’s about the process and the community that builds upon it."
– FORRT Community Principle

Resume

Education

  1. Univerza na Primorskem, Koper, Slovenia

    Oct 2025 — Feb 2026

    Erasmus+ Exchange (M.Sc. Data Science)
    Selected for international academic mobility focusing on advanced data science methodologies.

  2. University of Messina, Italy

    Sep 2024 — Present

    M.Sc. in Data Science
    Multidisciplinary program integrating statistical analysis, machine learning, and data engineering. Focus: Research Software Engineering and AI applications for real-world problem solving.

  3. Bugema University, Kampala, Uganda

    Aug 2018 — Nov 2022

    B.Sc. in Business Information Systems — GPA 4.08/5.0
    First Class Honours. Thesis: "Class Attendance by Facial Recognition for the School of Sciences and Technology." Coursework: System Analysis & Design, Project Management, Object-Oriented Programming.

Community Leadership & Open Science

  1. Lead, Website Team & OS Contributor — FORRT

    Dec 2023 — Present

    Managing global web infrastructure and software research to integrate reproducible research training into higher education.

  2. Secretary — RSE Asia Australia Unconference

    Mar 2024 — Mar 2025

    Coordinated committee operations, event documentation, and administered scholarships for the international Research Software Engineering community.

  3. Open Source Contributor — The Turing Way, UK

    2024

    Contributing to the community-driven handbook for reproducible, ethical, and collaborative data science.

  4. GDG Organiser — Google Developer Groups Luwero

    Sep 2023 — Nov 2024

    Orchestrating community events, workshops, and hands-on sessions to foster local tech innovation.

  5. Cohort Facilitator / Project Lead — Open Life Science (OLS)

    Aug 2023 — 2024

    Responsible for ensuring the successful implementation and sustainability of the mentee's open-source project. Encouraging open-source practices.

  6. Volunteer — Volunteer For Peace (VPeace)

    Jun 2023 — Present

    Empowering and integrating both refugee youth and women, fostering peaceful coexistence through mentorship, entrepreneurship, education, and community dialogues.

  7. Facilitator & Influencer — Google Explore ML with Crowdsource

    Aug 2022 — Aug 2023

    Led machine learning community-building initiatives and connected students with Google AI resources.

  8. Deputy Speaker — Bugema University Students Guild

    Feb 2021 — Feb 2022

    Led Students Parliament business committee, and represented student interests.

  9. Google Developer Student Club Lead — GDSC Bugema University

    Aug 2021 — Aug 2022

    Spearheaded a developer community to share ideas and enhance technical skills through project builds.

  10. Co-Founder & IT Support Lead — Bluebird Soccer Academy

    2021 — Present

    Supporting youth development through sports and technology integration.

Professional Experience

  1. External Consultant (Research Software) — Talarify

    Jun 2024 — Oct 2024

    Contributed to RSSE Africa operations by organizing international events, newsletters, and community meetups.

  2. Fellow — BTrust Builders

    Jan 2024 — Apr 2024

    Leveraging the BTrust Builders Program to address challenges for African software developers in becoming Bitcoin developers. Harnessing the power of Bitcoin technology for impactful innovation.

  3. Open Source Developer

    2021 — Present

    Active contributor to high-impact repositories; maintaining documentation and implementing features.

  4. IT Program Manager — MEGATRUST

    Oct 2024 — Mar 2025

    Oversaw technical project lifecycles and coordinated cross-functional strategy for regional IT initiatives. Managed infrastructure, troubleshooting, and regional technology integration for remote operations.

  5. Student Intern Organiser / Python Developer — WEHI Research Computing Platform

    2024

    Architecting web applications to optimize the Research Software Engineer (RSE) Internship program.

  6. Founder & Mentor — Thinkpro Tech

    Sep 2023 — Present

    Fostering tech knowledge and innovation for all through Mentorships.

  7. Information Technology Support — Bugema University

    Aug 2019 — Mar 2022

    Managed Labs infrastructure, troubleshooting, and assisted students and staff in IT labs.

  8. Hackathon Judge — Learn for cause Women of Code Hackathon (India)

    Feb 2022 — Mar 2022

    Judged tech solutions during the WOCODE Hackathon.

  9. Data Entry Part-time — 4africa

    Jul 2022 — Aug 2022

    Managed and digitized organizational data with high accuracy to support digital transformation.

Technical Skills

Python (NumPy, Pandas, Django, Flask)
Data Science & Machine Learning
Git/GitHub/GitLab & Docker
SQL & PostgreSQL
JavaScript & Web Development
Linux & DevOps

Training & Certifications

  1. Hack4Future Sicily 2025 — Open Data Playground

    May 2025

  2. Make Replication Count Hackathon 2025 — University of Münster, Germany

    Oct 21 – 26, 2025

  3. Bitcoin Protocol Development — Qala-Africa

    May — June 2023

  4. Cyber Stars Hackathon — Uganda Communications Commission

    June 2022

  5. Cyber Operations Security (Cyber Ops) — Bugema University

    Feb — Mar 2022

  6. Cisco Networking Academy — IT Essentials & Networking

    Oct — Dec 2021

References

Publications

Library

The Mental Stack

Explore the books shaping my perspective—spanning the philosophy of great minds, the frontiers of AI, and the rigor of open science. Hover over a cover to see the "Quick Take" on each.
Einstein by Walter Isaacson Queue Biography

Quick Take: Breakthroughs come from questioning basic assumptions.

Einstein: His Life and Universe
Walter Isaacson
Isaac Newton by James Gleick Queue Biography

Quick Take: The sheer power of focused observation and measurement.

Isaac Newton
James Gleick
The Trial and Death of Socrates In Progress Philosophy

Quick Take: The 'Socratic Method' as the ultimate debugging tool for inquiry and logic.

Trial & Death of Socrates
Plato
Life 3.0 by Max Tegmark Queue AI/Ethics

Quick Take: Fascinating look at life designing its own hardware. It forces critical thinking on model ethics.

Life 3.0
Max Tegmark
The Hundred-Page Machine Learning Book Finished Tech

Quick Take: Distilling complex ML concepts into clear, mathematical foundations.

The Hundred-Page ML Book
Andriy Burkov
Hands-On Machine Learning In Progress Tech

Quick Take: Bridging the gap between theory and production-ready code.

Hands-On Machine Learning
Aurélien Géron
Research Software Engineering Finished RSE

Quick Take: The vital bridge between academic research and professional software dev.

Research Software Engineering
Matthias Bannert
The Turing Way In Progress Open Science

Quick Take: My 'North Star' for reproducible and open research frameworks.

The Turing Way
Alan Turing Institute
Clean Code Finished Tech

Quick Take: Writing sustainable, readable, and maintainable research code.

Clean Code
Robert C. Martin
Open Science: The Very Idea Queue Open Science

Quick Take: Making scientific knowledge a public good, not a closed resource.

Open Science: The Very Idea
Frank Miedema
Deep Work by Cal Newport Queue

Quick Take: Concentration is a "muscle" that must be trained through deliberate practice and by systematically embracing boredom rather than fleeing it with a smartphone.

Deep Work
Cal Newport
The Laws of Human Nature by Robert Greene In Progress

Quick Take: Master the social game.

The Laws of Human Nature
Robert Greene
The Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell Finished

Quick Take: What makes high-achievers different? The 10,000-Hour Rule

The Outliers
Malcolm Gladwell
Atomic Habits In Progress

Quick Take: Tiny changes, remarkable results.

Atomic Habits
James Clear
Let Them Theory by Mel Robbins Queue Self-Help

Quick Take: Embrace the power of letting go.

Let Them Theory
Mel Robbins
I Will Wait by Bertha Msora Queue Novel

Quick Take: A story of patience and hope.

I Will Wait
Bertha Msora

Recommend me an interesting book! Email your suggestions to mudaherarich@gmail.com — I love discovering new reads.