Juma Shafara¶

Data Scientist, Instructor

Mobile: +256 774 128 257
Website: jumashafara.dataidea.org
Email: jumashafara0@gmail.com
Github: github.com/jumashafara

Profile¶

Data Scientist with 4+ years of experience in data analysis, machine learning, predictive modeling and web development. Passionate about leveraging data to solve problems in education, environment, and finance sectors. Proven instructor with 2+ years of experience teaching programming for data science.

Education & Qualifications¶

2019 – 2022
Makerere University, Uganda: Bachelor of Statistics (Statistical Computing)

2017 – 2018
St Joseph's Senior Secondary School Naggalama, Uganda: Advanced Level of Education

2013 – 2016
St Peter's College Tororo, Uganda: Ordinary Level of Education

Technical Skills¶

Programming: Python, JavaScript
Data Manipulation, Visualization and Analysis: Pandas, Matplotlib
Machine Learning: Sci-Kit Learn, PyTorch
Website Development: Django, React
Database Management: PostgreSQL, MongoDB
Project Management and Cloud Platforms: Clickup, GitHub, AWS

Professional Experience¶

Raising The Village, Uganda: Data Scientist¶

October 2024 - Present

Developed Machine Learning models and Dashboards for risk assessment. Implemented AWS deployment pipelines that increased model iteration frequency.
Applied ML techniques to identify key drivers influencing income and production in last mile communities to optimize poverty alleviation strategies.
Managed data processing pipelines, building a package to improve retrieval time, performed data wrangling and EDA, and communicated insights via data visualizations using Python.
Built interactive interfaces to streamline model interaction, accessibility and interpretability.

DATAIDEA, Uganda: Data Scientist, Instructor¶

September 2022 - October 2024

Designed and implemented educational content (courses, datasets) and an online student assessment platform, improving efficiency by decreasing interaction time by 30%.
Designed and delivered training sessions in programming and data science for 100s of learners across various levels.
Conducted data wrangling, time series forecasting, and machine learning and extracted actionable insights and visualized findings using Python libraries for client-focused projects.

Panobooking, Uganda: Applied Machine Learning Engineer¶

October 2022 - October 2024

Led the building and training of deep learning models for plant disease detection and mental health assistant AI. Both sold for a combined $20,000 USD
Deployed models as Django-based web applications using state-of-the-art architecture and conducted performance optimization.
Collaborated with stakeholders to align solutions with business needs.

OpenPriceEngine, South Africa: Junior Developer¶

December 2021 - July 2022

Analyzed retail pricing data to identify trends and inform pricing strategies.
Developed dashboards using HTML/CSS/JS for visualizing price movements.
Supported backend development of a pricing API with Django and Python.

Makerere University, Uganda: Research Internship¶

December 2021 - March 2022

Conducted a comprehensive analysis of internet usage patterns in Uganda, identifying key trends and recommendations for policy improvements.
Built statistical models that helped identify the significant factors determining levels and trends of internet use in Uganda

Projects¶

Open Price Engine API¶

Technologies: Django, Python, PostgreSQL, FastAPI, AWS

The Openpricengine is a resource that provides you with real-time & historical food and groceries, restaurant and retail energy prices. The engine provides a simple set of end points that allow you to query a global database of items & prices easily.

View Live: openpriceengine.com

Programming for Data Science Course¶

Technologies: Python, Pandas, Matplotlib, Scikit-Learn, PyTorch, MKDocs

Developed a beginner-friendly curriculum to teach Python for data science, covering programming fundamentals, data manipulation, visualization and Machine Learning. Designed to help learners build a foundation in data analytics.

View Live: science.dataidea.org

Dataidea Logger¶

Technologies: React, TypeScript, Django, Python, PostgreSQL, REST API

Developed a full-stack logging platform to track and visualize user and system events. The frontend, built with React and TypeScript, communicates with a Python-based backend API to log structured activity data. Designed for use in educational and analytical environments.

View Live: logger.dataidea.org

Certificates¶

Deep Learning Specialization: Coursera (deeplearning.ai) – Taught by Andrew Ng¶

Neural networks and deep learning fundamentals
Improving model performance (hyperparameter tuning, regularization, etc.)
Structuring ML projects
Convolutional Neural Networks (CNNs)
Sequence models (RNNs, LSTMs)

Issued in March 2023 - verify

Deep Neural Networks with PyTorch: Coursera (IBM)¶

Building neural networks with PyTorch
Training and evaluating deep learning models
Applying CNNs for image recognition tasks
Transfer learning and pre-trained models
Model deployment fundamentals

Issued in January 2024 - verify

Learning How to Learn: Coursera – Taught by Dr. Barbara Oakley and Dr. Terrence Sejnowski¶

Mental tools for mastering tough subjects
Focused vs. diffuse modes of thinking
Procrastination and memory techniques
Best practices for long-term retention and problem solving

Issued in January 2024 - verify

Languages¶

English — Full Professional Proficiency
French — Basic Proficiency (A1–A2, currently learning)
Luganda — Native Proficiency
Lusoga — Native Proficiency

References¶

Dr Olimi Expedito
Nematologist & Plant microbiome researcher
Tel: +43 677 63716821
Email: olimi2015@gmail.com

Tony Mudau
Data Engineer, Monocle Solutions
Tel: +27 76 471 4796
Email: mudau7tony3@gmail.com

Mr Morris Twinomugisha
Machine Learning Engineer, Raising The Village
Tel: +256 757 005504
Email: morristwinomugisha2000@gmail.com