Chisunta Mirriam Chikwamu

WORK HISTORY

EDUCATION

ABOUT CHISUNTA MIRRIAM CHIKWAMU

Growing up in Chimanimani, rural Zambia, I lacked role models who looked like me pushing barriers in technology. I earned the nickname \"Chisuntamatics\" for my curiosity and aptitude in mathematics. Mathematics was often described to me as \"the foundation of the universe,\" yet its connection to addressing the systemic inequities I witnessed daily felt distant. This was partly because technology was prohibitively expensive, and access to education about it was scarce.In 2016, I attended the Yale Young African Scholars program in Zimbabwe, where I encountered peers with vastly different learning opportunities due to their access to technology. This experience exposed me to the stark disparities in access to knowledge and tools and fueled my determination to pursue higher education in the United States, where I could gain the knowledge I had longed for back home.Currently, I am a Mathematics and Statistics graduate from Whitman College, with hands-on research experiences spanning bioinformatics, computational biology, sports analytics, and economic data analysis. My journey has taken me from analyzing protease sequences at Rutgers University, to investigating NHL player performance with the Pittsburgh Penguins, to standardizing economic data and contributing to inflation reporting at the Zambia Statistical Agency. These experiences have shown me the power of interdisciplinary collaboration and data-driven decision-making.My passion lies in the life cycle of data—from designing experiments in resource-limited environments to creating models that reflect the complexities of the communities they serve. For me, the success of a model begins at the very inception of data collection methodologies. I aim to build robust statistical models and machine learning frameworks that balance rigor, innovation, and contextual awareness, addressing real-world challenges while ensuring interpretability and equity.Looking ahead, I plan to pursue a Ph.D. in Statistics to go beyond building models for my community. I aspire to become the role model I lacked growing up, showing young students—especially girls—that mathematics and statistics are tools for societal transformation. I aim to demonstrate that barriers can be overcome with resilience, support, and a commitment to creating opportunities for others.Feel free to connect or reach out—I’d love to collaborate and explore ideas that push the boundaries of what’s possible with data and statistics!