Resume

Education

Experience

Skills

References

Education

Master of Science (M.Sc.)

Utrecht University, 2017 - 2019

  • Research Master in Methodology and Statistics for the Behavioural, Biomedical, and Social Sciences (final grade: 8.3, cum laude)
  • Thesis topic: Automatic Transport Mode Prediction in a National Travel Survey
  • Concurrently completed the EMOS Master
  • Selected for the Utrecht University Honours Programme for graduate students

Master of Laws (LL.M.)

Yenching Academy of Peking University, 2015 - 2017

  • Admitted as inaugural Yenching Scholar on a full scholarship (final grade: 91%)
  • Thesis topic: Panda Diplomacy: China’s Foreign Policy through Panda Diplomacy
  • Focused on contemporary Chinese domestic economic challenges and foreign policy (awarded Deans Research Grant)

Bachelor of Science (B.Sc.)

Leiden University, 2012 - 2015

  • Bachelor of Science in International Relations (final grade: 8.1, cum laude)
  • Thesis topic: Contagious Democracy: The role of Trading Partners in the Democratization Process of Undemocratic Countries (9/10), nominated for the Van den Berg thesis of highest merit prize)
  • Completed the Honours Academy Faculty of Social Sciences for undergraduate students
  • Selected participant of the Netherlands Asia Honours Summer School (NAHSS), I received a scholarship to complete a summer school at Fudan University, Shanghai, where I conducted research for the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs on the Belt and Road initiative
  • Recipient of Lustra+ Scholarship for a semester exchange programme at McGill University (Montréal, Canada)

Experience

Data Science Consultant

World BankRemote, 2022 - Present

I held various roles as a Data Scientist at the World Bank, primarily focusing on automating processes and making analyses available via open-source code. I assisted in automating the creation of the 2024 Country Gender Landscapes in R. I led the development of a codebase and algorithms to automatically clean and match data from multiple large databases (300M+ entries) for the Global Digital Divides Project and Technology and Trade project (paper forthcoming). I also created an R Shiny–based Fiscal Microsimulation Tool for the CEQ Lab to model tax reform impacts on poverty and inequality in Georgia and soon to be adapted for Ghana, Azerbaijan, and Uzbekistan.

Data Science Lead

Ghana Statistical Service (GSS)Accra, Ghana, 2022 - 2024

I assisted in setting up and led the Data Science Unit at the Ghana Statistical Service (GSS), supervising a team of nine data scientists responsible for leveraging non-traditional data sources to produce official statistics, automate statistical workflows, and modernize data processes. Projects included launching an online StatsBank for disseminating GSS statistics; introducing a geospatial platform for publishing gridded census data; utilizing large language models (LLMs) for automated ISIC/ISCO code classification; integrating drone imagery to assess marine litter; implementing a Reproducible Analytical Pipeline (RAP) for regular CPI releases; and applying Automatic Identification System (AIS) data as a proxy for trade flow.
  • Tracey Li, Rachel Bowers, Omar Seidu, Gloria Akoto-Bamfo, David Bessah, Victor Owusu, Laurent Smeets (2021). Analysis of call detail records to inform the COVID‑19 response in Ghana—opportunities and challenges. Data & Policy 3, Cambridge University Press.
  • Abigail Barenblitt, Amanda Payton, David Lagomasino, Lola Fatoyinbo, Kofi Asare, Kenneth Aidoo, Hugo Pigott, Charles Kofi Som, Laurent Smeets, Omar Seidu, Danielle Wood (2022). The large footprint of small-scale artisanal gold mining in Ghana. Science of The Total Environment 781, p. 146644.

Data Science Consultant

UNFPAAbuja, Nigeria, 2022

Developed automated fuzzy-matching and machine learning methods to link data from the Nigeria Census with the post-enumeration survey (PES) for the upcoming Nigeria Population and Housing Census.

Data Science Consultant and Workstream Lead

GOPA Group LuxembourgRemote, 2022

Developed a use case leveraging novel data sources to generate EU-wide urban passenger mobility statistics for Eurostat under the Data Landscaping project, “Traffic and Mobility Data Sources for Official Statistics.”

ODI Fellow and Data Scientist

Ghana Statistical Service (GSS)Accra, Ghana, 2019 - 2022

Facilitated the modernization and digitalization of price statistics (primarily consumer inflation) by streamlining data collection, calculation, quality assurance, and dissemination. I also supported and trained various GSS departments in adopting open-source software solutions (R, Python, JavaScript libraries), helping the organization transition away from proprietary tools.

Research Assistant

Utrecht UniversityUtrecht, Netherlands, 2018 - 2019

Developed over twenty tutorials and online teaching materials on Bayesian analyses for Prof. Rens van de Schoot, including authoring online content for a book on multilevel modeling. Additionally, created an R Shiny app to assist users in defining priors for Bayesian linear regression using the concept of the plausible parameter space.

Skills

Note: I think these sections are silly, but everyone seems to have one. Here is a *mostly* honest overview of my skills.

Microsoft Office
5 / 5
Dutch
5 / 5
English
5 / 5
Data Visualization
5 / 5
Markdown + Quarto
5 / 5
ggplot2
5 / 5
shiny
5 / 5
tidyverse
5 / 5
R
5 / 5
LaTeX
4 / 5
Spark
4 / 5
Pandas
4 / 5
GIT + GitHub
4 / 5
Python
4 / 5
Docker
3 / 5
Heroku
3 / 5
Stata
3 / 5
Flask
3 / 5
D3
3 / 5
Earth Engine
3 / 5
Jupyter
3 / 5
Numpy
3 / 5
Tensorflow + Keras + PyTorch
3 / 5
Javascript
3 / 5
MySQL
3 / 5
PostgreSQL
3 / 5
QGIS
3 / 5
French
2 / 5
Spanish
2 / 5

References are available upon request