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Chipo Zidana

@chipozidana

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Senior statistician and data science researcher specializing in health-focused predictive analytics.

Botswana

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What I'm looking for

I seek a research/leadership role applying advanced statistical and ML methods to health data, in a collaborative, impact-driven organization that supports mentorship and secures research funding.

I am a Senior Statistician and Data Science researcher with a PhD in Statistics and over 15 years of experience in advanced statistical modeling, clinical data analysis, and predictive health analytics.

I have led cross-functional research teams, modernized analytics workflows, and secured BWP 1.2M in research funding for national predictive modeling initiatives, including management of the National COVID-19 Survey data pipeline.

My technical strengths include R (Tidyverse, Caret), Python (TensorFlow, Keras), SQL, and a range of machine learning methods such as CNNs, SVM, Random Forests, mixture models and Bayesian approaches applied to multimodal health data like fMRI and genomics.

I am an experienced mentor and academic leader who has directed MSc programs, supervised 25+ researchers, and held leadership roles in continental and national data-science and STEM organizations, focused on technical collaboration and gender equity.

Experience

Work history, roles, and key accomplishments

Current

Lead, Statistical Services Unit

Current

Botswana International University of Science and Technology

Nov 2019 - Present (6 years 1 month)

Managed the National COVID-19 survey data pipeline and secured BWP 1.2M in funding for predictive modeling; modernized time-series workflows increasing departmental throughput and student retention by 60% while leading a technical team of 4 PhD/MSc researchers.

Time Series Analysis Mentorship Research Design Data Modeling Data Analytics Python R Statistical Methods Statistical Modeling Statistics SPSS IBM SPSS Modeler Stata

Program Coordinator & Lecturer

National University of Science and Technology

Jan 2009 - Dec 2019 (10 years 11 months)

Directed the MSc Mathematical Modelling program and migrated curriculum to R-based computational labs, increasing enrollment by 43%; served as Acting Head of Department overseeing budget and faculty operations.

Curriculum Development R Academic Administration Teaching Program Coordination Student supervision Python SPSS IBM SPSS Modeler Mathematical Modeling Mathematics Intervention Mathematics Education Mathematical Software Mathematics Professional Learning Mathematical Statistics

Education

Degrees, certifications, and relevant coursework

Çukurova University

Doctor of Philosophy, Statistics

2012 - 2017

Activities and societies: Doctoral research on mixture models; dissertation work and neuroimaging/genomic data methods.

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in Statistics with a dissertation on mixture model approaches for heterogeneous populations, focusing on methods applicable to clinical datasets.