Women+ in ML/DS

Women+ in Machine Learning & Data Science (WiMLDS) Org. | meetup community of women & non-binary folks | Est 2013 👩🏿‍💻👩‍💻👩🏽‍💻 #GenderEquality #Inclusion

[DSN - Data Science Nigeria @dsn_ai_network]

The past six days have been nothing short of inspiring — packed with learning, sharing, and networking at its best.

The final day of #DLI2025 opened with a powerful keynote from @DMachuve, Cofounder and CTO of DevData Analytics. She spoke on End-to-End Deep Learning for Chicken Disease Diagnosis, showing how AI can move beyond labs into farms to strengthen agriculture, food security, and livelihoods.

From there, we moved into half-day workshops. Our Chief Technology Officer, @IfeAdebara, joined other panelists at the co-organised Voice of Africa Volume 2: Advancing Innovations for African Natural Language Processing (NLP). The session focused on how research and collaboration in African NLP are tackling challenges around resources, models, and scale.

The day closed on a high with the awards ceremony, where our communities — @AbujaDsn and @AiPlus_FUTA — proudly claimed first and third place in the Community Challenge Competition. A momentous win that reflects the quality and impact of what we’re building in Africa.

And then came the big announcement: Nigeria will host @DeepIndaba 2026. The giant of Africa is ready to welcome the continent.

We return with new lessons, stronger connections, and fresh opportunities to harness. The journey continues, and we can’t wait to walk hand in hand with the AI community across Africa when the Indaba comes to Nigeria.

#datasciencenigeria #DLI2025 #Indaba2025 #Urunana

[DSN Ladies In AI @dsnladies_in_ai]

In AI, it’s easy to focus on what you don’t know yet.

But impact starts with using what you can do today.

Small steps build momentum, and progress comes from action, not perfection.

Start where you are—your skills will grow with you.

#WomenInAI #KeepBuilding

[DSN - Data Science Nigeria @dsn_ai_network]

Our AI Personality of the Month is @HeidyKhlaaf.

Dr. Heidy Khlaaf is Chief AI Scientist at the @AINowInstitute, specializing in AI safety for autonomous systems. She has led safety audits across domains from UAVs to nuclear plants, advancing standards like IEC 61508 and DO-178C.

She pioneered AI Safety Engineering, notably creating @OpenAI Codex evaluation framework, now widely used across AI labs. Formerly Engineering Director at Trail of Bits, she led AI assurance efforts that supported the UK AI Safety Institute and uncovered the LeftoverLocals vulnerability.

Her expertise at the intersection of software engineering and machine learning has shaped key US and UK regulatory frameworks and international standards. She serves on the UN Secretary-General’s AI Advisory Body and the ISO SC 42 AI Committee.

Dr. Khlaaf holds a PhD in Computer Science from @ucl, awarded the NSF GRFP, and has published award-winning research in software verification. She has been featured in major outlets including NYT, TIME, NPR, WIRED, and was recently named to the #TIME100/AI 2025 list of leading thinkers.

#datasciencenigeria #AIPersonality

[DSN - Data Science Nigeria @dsn_ai_network]

Meet Dr @SakinatTijani Folorunso, a force in Data Mining and Machine Learning. As a Lecturer at Olabisi Onabanjo University, her work tackles complex challenges like class imbalance in datasets while mentoring the next wave of AI talent.

Globally, she’s contributed through @wimlds and @DeepIndaba, amplifying African voices in research.

At #DSNAIBootcamp2025, Dr Folorunso will inspire with her journey and show how rigorous research and mentorship can unlock Africa’s AI potential.

#AIBootcampSpeakers #datasciencenigeria #AIForAfrica

[DSN - Data Science Nigeria @dsn_ai_network]

She’s been a champion of our mission for years. Now, for the first time, @DrSamboMagaji will step onto the #DSNAIBootcamp2025 stage.

With over 21 years of leadership in digital transformation, from pioneering Nigeria’s first MSc/PhD programs in AI to shaping policies at @NITDANigeria, Dr. Sambo-Magaji is a force redefining the intersection of governance, innovation, and social impact.

Her story is proof that brilliance and purpose can transform nations. This October, she’ll join us not just as an ally but as a voice on stage — inspiring Africa’s future AI leaders to dream, build, and lead boldly.

#datasciencenigeria #DSNAIBootcamp2025 #AIBootcampSpeakers

[DSN - Data Science Nigeria @dsn_ai_network]

What if the solutions to Africa’s biggest challenges became the blueprint for the world’s next AI systems?

Join our Director, AI Solution Delivery, Chinazo Anebelundu (@rKyrian), at #DataFestAfrica2025, as she shares how African women are breaking barriers and rewriting the global AI story through resilience, innovation, and impact.

Event Details
Date: Saturday, 18th October 2025
Time: 2:40 PM
Venue: Anchor Event Place, 1 Registration Close, Lateef Jakande, Agidingbi, Ikeja

Panel Session: Breaking Every Barrier: How African Women Conquered Global AI Despite the Odds

#datasciencenigeria #DataFestAfrica #AIinAfrica #WomenInAI

[Sara Hooker @sarahookr]

Congrats to Joelle! Really impactful to have her at @Cohere_Labs along with the incredible @mziizm 🔥

[Paragon Science - Dr. Steve Kramer @ParagonSci_Inc]

@wimlds We're hiring at @kungfuai and need an awesome Director of Engineering: https://t.co/aZWyrTdkZA.
If you've got a strong background in real-world AI deployments, please apply! #Diversity #ethicalai

[Prof. Anima Anandkumar @AnimaAnandkumar]

Thank you @ELLEmagazine for featuring me in women in AI https://t.co/EL9my9huMH

[Yusan Lin @yusan_lin]

An investor once pressured me to meet him at a hotel at night.

I said no. I asked if we could meet during the day, at a coffee shop or in an office.

He replied: “If you’re serious about this, you’ll meet me on my terms.”

That’s just one of many moments I’ve stayed silent about—until now.

As a female founder, I’ve faced harassment and dismissiveness more times than I can count.

I’m not sharing this to portray myself as a victim. I’m sharing it because silence only protects the behavior. And because I know I’m not alone.

Since starting my company, I’ve experienced:

- An investor who texted me late at night while drinking, saying he missed me—and asking whether I “show enough skin” in my party outfits, after a single coffee meeting about business.

- One who asked, “How many white guys have you been with for your English to be this good?”

- Another who interrupted me mid-sentence while I was sharing an important partnership update to say, “Bring your pretty friends to my island next time.”

- One who told me, “You’re too pretty to be a founder. Just be an influencer,” and then showed me photos of women online wearing very little, suggesting I could do the same.

- An investor who said he kept forgetting I could code—because I “don’t look like someone who can.”

- A founder I distanced myself from after multiple uncomfortable invites, who recorded and took photos of me without my consent. When I got upset, he said I was missing out on funding opportunities because he could’ve introduced me to investors.

- Another founder who made an unwanted sexual advance the first time we met. When I ignored his repeated messages, he told me he hoped my startup would fail.

These aren’t just awkward moments. They’re degrading. They’re exhausting. And to say they haven’t taken an emotional toll would be a lie.

I don’t want to be objectified, or reduced to an image these men create in their minds.

I hope we build a culture where this behavior is no longer tolerated. One where female founders don’t have to brace themselves before every investor meeting. One where we feel safe at work, at networking events, and in every room where decisions are made. One where competence isn’t overshadowed by appearance. One where boundaries are respected—without needing to be justified.

To be clear: These experiences do not reflect the majority. I’ve been fortunate to meet far more incredible, kind, and principled investors and founders than not.

But until this kind of behavior ends, stories like mine need to be heard too.

[Prof. Anima Anandkumar @AnimaAnandkumar]

In a recent interview I talk about what it takes for AI to make new scientific discoveries. tldr: it won’t be just LLMs. https://t.co/kdnYfFJwP4

[African Institute for Mathematical Sciences (AIMS) @AIMS__Network]

A night to remember!🥳
With a cultural flair, the AIMS #Alumni Dinner in #Ghana, brought together brilliant minds from all 6 AIMS Centres, inspiring journeys & a vision for the future.
From science to impact, our alumni are shaping the world.
#FutureXScience #AIMSAlumReunion25

[MichiganAI @michigan_AI]

Looking forward to Niloofar Mireshghallah (@niloofar_mire)'s insightful seminar on "Privacy, Copyright, and Data Integrity: The Cascading Implications of Generative AI"!
📍MARCH 18 | 10:30 am ET

🤖✨ #GenerativeAI

https://t.co/eWYkVcpcWK

[Rosanne Liu @savvyRL]

Who's confirmed to attend ICLR this year? Let me know and I might have a job for you ☺️

[Manling Li @ManlingLi_]

Excited about the tutorial on "The Lifecycle of Knowledge in LLMs: Memorization, Editing, and Beyond" with @ZoeyLi20 @Yuji_Zhang_NLP @Glaciohound @hengjinlp .

Slides/Video(upcoming): https://t.co/zxRVYvGEzi
Time: Feb 26 8:30-12:30
Location: Room 116
Zoom: https://t.co/NuklqZe9iw

[Mimansa Jaiswal @MimansaJ]

I interviewed for LLM/ML research scientist/engineering positions last Fall. Over 200 applications, 100 interviews, many rejections & some offers later, I decided to write the process down, along with the resources I used.

Links to the process & resources in the following tweets

[Women+ in ML/DS @wimlds]

Absolute pinnacle of disingenuous "DEI" by @Meta, and an embarrassing and harmful application of #AI.

As stated by @lovettejallow in her thread, "This is not representation; it’s appropriation."

[Lovette✍🏾 @lovettejallow]

1/ Let’s talk about Liv, Meta’s AI bot claiming to represent a “Proud Black queer momma.” The creators behind Liv? Ten white men, one white woman, and one Asian man. No Black creators. No cultural context. What does this say about their relationship with Black women? A lot. 🧵

[Wanru Zhao @ ICLR 2026 @Renee42581826]

Happy New Year!
Thanks to everyone who visited my posters at #neurips2024 !
Hope to get better data in better ways to build better models in 2025! 🚀✨

[WiMLDS Yaoundé @WiMLDS_Yaounde]

Samedi dernier, en partenariat avec l'@ENSP de Yaoundé, nous avons organisé avec succès un événement sous le thème " l'IA pour la résolution des problèmes sociaux en Afrique.

#Womeninscience
#DataScience
#Afrique
#IoT
#Inovation

[WiMLDS Lagos Chapter @WiMLDS_Lagos]

✨ Happy New Year from WiMLDS Lagos community 🎉

Here’s to a year of learning, growth, and breaking barriers in Machine Learning and Data Science. Together, let’s make 2025 extraordinary 💡

#HappyNewYear #WiMLDSLagos #DataScience #MachineLearning #WomenInTech #AI #2025