Uyi Stewart is the Chief Data and Technology at data.org. Uyi provides senior technical leadership in all aspects of data.org’s work, with a particular focus on our programmatic initiatives which today include the Inclusive Growth and Recovery Challenge, the Capacity Accelerator Network, and Epiverse. Uyi plays a critical role in designing and building new initiatives, leveraging his global network to drive inclusive co-creation and strengthen outcomes.
Uyi is a trailblazing expert in data science as a technology with over 25 years of experience. Prior to joining data.org, he was the head of Data Science, Technical Operations, Seagen Inc., USA, focusing on the digitalization of biologics data to accelerate the development of transformative cancer drugs. Before that, he was an executive director, AI Commons, a non-profit focused on the creation of a knowledge hub to democratize and localize access to AI technologies in emerging markets. For ~3 years, he was a director of Global Development’s Strategy, Data and Analytics at the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, centralizing the use of data to fight disease, poverty, and inequity. He spent 12 years at IBM Research, where he was a Distinguished Engineer, co-founder, and Chief Scientist, IBM Research – Africa, Nairobi, pioneering the use of Big Data to combat the Ebola outbreak in West Africa via behavior change, and other ML/AI solutions to address data-related societal challenges.
Uyi holds a Ph.D. in Linguistics from McGill University. He has 15 patents, authored 65 publications, and has been involved in the implementation of hundreds of innovative digital solutions across Africa, Asia, and the United States of America.