I completed my PhD in Cancer Science in the Radiotherapy related research (RRR) group at the University of Manchester (2021), under the supervision of Dr Eliana Vasquez Osorio, Dr Andrew Green, Dr David Cobben, Prof Marcel van Herk and Dr Alan McWilliam. My PhD was sponsored through the DARA Big Data project, part of the Newton Fund and funded by the Science and Technology Facilities Council, part of UKRI, and the South African Department of Science and Innovation. that provides students from the AVN countries with skills in the field of data science. The DARA Big Data project provides intensive data science skills training to students from the 8 African countries who partnered to build the mid-frequency instrument of the Square Kilometre Array (SKA) telescope in Southern Africa.
My PhD research involves investigating image-based data mining methods to analyse how lung tumours change during treatment. The aim is to distinguish between elastic and inelastic tumour changes. This information can be used to personalise treatment through the adaptation of radiotherapy. Personalised treatment will enable the delivery of better-targeted radiotherapy and reduce toxicity to surrounding tissue.
Research interests: Trustworthy artificial intelligence, data science and health care.

Background

I was born in the small village of Ehenye village on the outskirts of Oshakati, Namibia. Like many of my peers in northern Namibia, I grew up looking after my father' goats and cattle and performing other duties traditionally performed by boys. I completed my primary school at Ehenye Primary School. Attended secondary school at St. Joseph’s RC High School, a boarding school 787 km from home. Dobra was a great school, and it was during my time at Dobra that I experienced the diversity of Namibia for the first time. All Namibian ethnic groups were represented at Dobra and this was manifested in the languages spoken. St Joseph’s RC High School Dobra will always have a special place in my heart.

As an undergraduate at the Polytechnic of Namibia, now Namibia University of Science & Technology (NUST) in the 2010s, I majored in Software Engineering. Since this was during the smartphone boom, I became interested in mobile application development. Pursuing this interest, I took up courses on Android mobile application development and became one of the founding members of the Namibia Business Innovation Centre (now Namibia Business Innovation Institute) developers circle. After my undergraduate, I enrolled for my honour’s degree and then master’s degree in Computer Science at NUST.

In 2014, together with Desiree Cupido, Heinrich Aluvilu and Emilia Shikenga we became Co-leads of the Google Developer Group (DGD) Windhoek, taking over from Prof Kasper Jensen. In 2017, together with Heinrich Aluvilu, Emilia Shikenga, Annastacia Shipepe and Gabriel Nhinda, we established the local Developers Circle from Facebook (DevC Windhoek). I have been a co-lead of both communities until 2019.

I enjoy running, football, cycling, travelling, and cooking and sharing good food with friends.

Work Experience

Statistical Machine Learning in Clinical Development (PostDoc), Boehringer Ingelheim, Biberach, Germany: 10/2023 - Present
Responsibilities:
• Identify, implement and evaluate innovative ML methods.
• Areas: multivariate statistical prediction models, Explainable AI and deep learning methodologies.
• Supervise students on subtopics related statistical ML.

Associate Researcher, Institute of Ethics in Artificial Intelligence (Technische Universität München), Munich, Bavaria, Germany: 09/2022 - 09/2023
Responsibilities:
Working on an exciting project: MELISSA - mobile artificial intelligence solution for diabetes adaptive care.
• Investigating the ethical aspects related to trustworthy AI.
• Interdisciplinary research in ethics in artificial intelligence.
• Comprehensively address a growing group of ethical challenges arising at the interface of technology and human values.

Lecturer, Namibia University of Science & Technology, Windhoek Namibia: 01/2018 - 09/2023
Responsibilities:
• Prepare and conduct lectures for artificial intelligence, data science and programming.
• Prepare student assessments, e.g. tests, projects and exams.
• Supervise student projects.
• Conduct research.

BI Analyst, Telecom Namibia, Windhoek Namibia: 04/2014 – 01/2018
Responsibilities:
• Develop APEX application interfacing with Oracle databases.
• Perform data analysis on GSM trends.
• Develop interface between various systems.
• Maintain business intelligence tools, databases, dashboards, systems, or methods.
• Manage timely flow of business intelligence information to users.

Co-Lead, Developer Circles from Facebook, Windhoek Namibia (Non-Paid): 09/2017 – 01/2019
Responsibilities:
• Organize meetups/events that connects developers to collaborate, learn, and code with other local developers.
• Create an active community for developers to access information, share knowledge, and collaborate.

Co-Lead, Google developers’ group (GDG), Windhoek Namibia (Non-Paid): 09/2014 – 01/2019
Responsibilities:
• Facilitate Tech-talks, hackathons, seminars and trainings to encourage knowledge sharing, and networking.
• Organise meetings, events and coordinate collaborations between developers.

Consultancy work

Lead country researcher (Namibia): Africa Open Data Barometer, Local Deployment Research Institute (LDRI), Nairobi, Kenya: 04/2018 – 06/2018
Responsibilities:
• Complete and/or update a number of questions on readiness, use and impacts of open data on the basis of desk research and interviews;
• Assess the availability of data through a number of checkpoints across selected categories;
• Provide quality brief justifications in English for each answer and detailed source information, along with a score and associated evidence to support that score;

Consultant/Trainer, UNESCO Youth mobile training, Windhoek: 04/2016 – 04/2016
Responsibilities:
• Equip 27 trainers with the technical and pedagogical skills and knowledge to train young Namibians in mobile applications development and entrepreneurship.
• Empower the trainers, particularly women, to become coders and programmers who will train young Namibians in mobile applications development.
• To contribute to efforts in solving identified local issues of sustainable development especially those related to poverty reduction and climate change, and to reduce chronic youth unemployment through the sale of smart mobile applications and formation of small businesses.
• Training included: Object Oriented programming, Android development and app monetisation.

Achievements

• National Youth Innovator award 2015 - Open Data
• Mandela Washington Fellow (MWF) 2017
• 5th Heidelberg Laureate Forum (Young Researcher) 2017

Skills

Programming: Python, MATLAB, R, C, Java, Android, C#, SQL, SQL Plus, HTML.
Soft skills: interpersonal skills

To view Mbangula's full curriculum vitae.