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Abigail Gitonga

@abigailgitonga

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Founder and data scientist applying machine learning to energy sustainability and industry problems.

Kenya

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What I'm looking for

I’m looking for roles (remote or relocation) where I can build ML/AI for energy and sustainability—forecasting, optimization, and life-cycle/geospatial analytics—working with real data, collaboration, and clear, measurable impact.

I’m a chemical engineer turned data scientist and AI practitioner, working at the intersection of engineering, sustainability, and data. My focus is turning real energy and industrial problems into rigorous, decision-ready solutions through machine learning, optimisation, and careful validation.

In my MSc, I built a reinforcement learning system to optimise a community energy setup running on solar, CHP, and battery storage—end-to-end from simulation environment to a trained agent. I also developed an ML-based energy demand forecasting workflow that achieved ~30% RMSE with a rigorous validation approach, and I delivered an LSTM water consumption model with 0.4% RMSE.

As Founder of Kath Advisory, I lead AI and data science consultancy for energy, industrial, and sustainability work across Africa—covering energy modelling, RL/ML model development, life cycle assessment, and geospatial analysis (ERA5, Sentinel, ArcGIS Pro). I’ve been recognised for academic excellence with a £5,191 Cranfield Scholarship, led a 4-person consultancy team delivering energy efficiency recommendations, and earned “Most Feasible Solution” in the Energy Entrepreneurship module.

Experience

Work history, roles, and key accomplishments

Current

Founder, Kath Advisory

Current

Kath Advisory

Jan 2026 - Present (5 months)

Founded an energy, industrial, and sustainability-focused consultancy delivering machine learning and optimization solutions for real-world demand, energy management, life cycle assessment, and geospatial analysis.

Machine Learning Optimization Geospatial analysis Energy Demand Modelling SQL ArcGIS Pro ERA5 Sentinel Data

RL Community Energy Thesis

Cranfield University

May 2025 - Sep 2025 (4 months)

Built an end-to-end reinforcement learning system for multi-objective community energy management, training and validating a PPO agent across 10 episodes using real-world demand data (17,520 timesteps) and integrating solar, CHP, and battery scheduling.

Reinforcement Learning Multi Objective Optimization Energy Management Python Model Validation Feature Engineering Real World Dataset Integration

Team Lead, Energy Efficiency

Industry Partnership Project

Mar 2025 - May 2025 (2 months)

Led a 4-person team analyzing operational energy data and translating complex datasets into actionable recommendations for a data centre client, presenting findings to industry executives and academic assessors.

Data Cleaning Feature Engineering Python Data Visualization Model Validation Technical Presentations

Energy & Water Forecasting

Cranfield University

Dec 2024 - Apr 2025 (4 months)

Developed an LSTM-based water consumption forecasting model using Keras Functional API (0.4% RMSE) and built a day-ahead energy demand forecasting model targeting ~30% RMSE to support grid dispatch decisions.

Keras data preprocessing Python RMSE Evaluation

Teaching Assistant (Primary)

Brynhyfryd Primary School

Oct 2023 - Jul 2024 (9 months)

Supported classroom learning and coordinated activities for diverse student needs, strengthening communication and organisational skills while assisting the teaching team.

Student Mentoring Differentiated Support Communication Organization Team Collaboration Student Engagement Activity Management

Student Ambassador

Swansea University

Oct 2021 - Aug 2023 (1 year 10 months)

Represented the university across 20+ open days, summer schools, and international recruitment events, engaging 1,000+ prospective students through cross-cultural communication and effective presentations.

Event Coordination Public Speaking Cross Cultural Communication Stakeholder Engagement Presentation Logistics Planning Team Collaboration

Summer Research Intern

Swansea University

Jun 2023 - Jul 2023 (1 month)

Independently learned ASPEN Adsorption and built and validated a CO2 capture simulation model, producing technical documentation for knowledge transfer within the research team.

ASPEN Adsorption Process Simulation CO2 Capture Modelling Model Validation Technical Documentation Engineering Analysis

Education

Degrees, certifications, and relevant coursework

Cranfield University

Master of Science (MSc), Data Science & Artificial Intelligence for Sustainability

2024 - 2025

Grade: Overall: 71.90% — Distinction

Activities and societies: Thesis: RL-based community energy management (PPO agent integrating battery scheduling, renewables, and real-world demand). Awards: £5,191 Cranfield Scholarship; 'Most Feasible Solution' in Energy Entrepreneurship (Stage 2).

MSc in Data Science & Artificial Intelligence for Sustainability, with an RL thesis building a multi-objective PPO agent for community energy management using real demand data (17,520 timesteps). Coursework covered AI for energy systems, forecasting, decision science, GIS, and sustainability assessments.

Swansea University

Bachelor of Engineering (Honours), Chemical Engineering

2019 - 2023

Grade: First Class (Overall: 78.50%)

Activities and societies: Thesis: designed 100,000 MT/year hydrogen production plant (reactor sizing, heat/material balances, P&IDs, economic evaluation).

BEng (Hons) Chemical Engineering focusing on process design and analysis, including a final-year thesis designing a large-scale hydrogen production plant with reactor sizing, balances, P&IDs, and economic evaluation.