OUR ALUMNI

Angela, a University of Glasgow PhD graduate in Mathematics, returned to Ghana and now serves as the Academic Manager for the Masters in Mathematical Sciences for Teachers at the African Institute for Mathematical Sciences Ghana, an online program for African High School Teachers. She also manages Girls in Mathematical Program, a nine month mentoring initiative for mathematically talented high school girls.

The Woman Who Is Passionate About The Simplification of Technology and Industrial Processes Ms. Ebude Yolande studied Electrical Engineering at Ecole Normale Superieure Polytechnique Yaounde where she graduated with a Master’s in Engineering. She is an AIMS-Cameroon Co-operative Master alumnus in Industrial Mathematics and a Mastercard Foundation Scholar, currently undergoing a professional doctorate in Engineering at the Eindhoven University of Technology in the Netherlands. While at AIMS, Ms. Ebude was selected amongst two to represent AIMS at the UNLEASH Lab in 2018, a program organized by UNDP and SDGs. She also had the opportunity to be invited to a conference on Deep Learning at Stellenbosch University, South Africa. She did her internship at GROUP 1 HOLDING and proposed a solution to three major problems occurring in fuel operations in tower sites; theft, fraud and lack of supervision. The proposed solution exposes theft done by the field agent; collects information automatically preventing the field agent from manipulating the values and embeds a notification system that informs tower company authorities on the process of fueling. Ms. Ebude Successfully obtained a professional doctorate in Engineering at the Eindhoven University of Technology in the Netherlands after AIMS. She is highly passionate about technology and how industrial processes can be simplified. She believes that, with her vital analytical knowledge and skills gathered, she will continue to impact the African Industrial Sector. Besides, she is an excellent writer who participates in community healthcare education. Her research interests include Energy Market analysis, Artificial Intelligence in Healthcare, Multi-Agent Reinforcement Learning, and Robotics.

Dr. Belle Fille MURORUNKWERE always loved mathematics. Numbers made sense. Equations felt logical and controlled. Yet for years, she wrestled with a quiet question: What could she truly build with it? She could solve problems on paper, but she could not yet see how mathematics translated into impact. She found herself suspended between passion and uncertainty. She knew she was capable. What she lacked was direction. From childhood, Belle Fille’s father planted the seeds of ambition. He reminded her that mathematics underpins innovation and national progress. He encouraged her to pursue advanced studies and never settle for small dreams. His belief in her potential became a quiet force behind her perseverance. In 2026, Dr. Belle Fille joined AIMS Rwanda. Surrounded by brilliant students, lecturers, and visiting researchers from across Africa, she witnessed mathematics being used to transform healthcare systems, optimize agriculture, and strengthen financial institutions. Seminars exposed her to data science applied to real world challenges. Models were not abstract exercises. They were tools influencing decisions, shaping policies, and driving innovation. For the first time, she felt she truly belonged in a space where mathematics was alive and consequential. Safe to say, that realization changed her trajectory. The true transformation came when she began experiencing mathematics through application rather than theory alone. At AIMS, she worked with data, programming, and modelling to address tangible problems. But the journey was not effortless. Programming was initially intimidating. With limited prior exposure to coding, she felt the weight of the learning curve. Instead of withdrawing, she committed herself to daily practice, using every available resource to strengthen her skills. Gradually, uncertainty gave way to competence. Communication posed another challenge. Naturally technical in her thinking, she initially struggled to explain complex ideas clearly, especially to non-technical audiences. Through repeated presentations, mentorship, and constructive feedback, she learned to translate sophisticated analysis into accessible insight. That skill would later define her professional effectiveness. Her most demanding test, however, was personal. During the intensive AIMS program, she was also the mother of a six month old baby. Balancing academic rigor with the responsibilities of early motherhood required extraordinary resilience. With unwavering support from her husband and encouragement from the AIMS community, she persevered and completed the program successfully. The experience strengthened not only her technical capacity, but her confidence. Motivated by clarity, Dr. Belle Fille pursued and completed a PhD in Data Science. The discipline, resilience, and intellectual courage she cultivated at AIMS became essential during her doctoral journey.

Brigitte Umutoni, a PhD fellow at AIMS RIC, is turning her personal journey of grief, grit, and growth into a digital solution that is becoming a lifeline for mothers across Rwanda. Brigitte Umutoni lost both parents at just four years old. Separated from her brother, she was taken in by her godmother, a dedicated primary school teacher in Rwanda’s Gicumbi District, who, despite having little, gave Brigitte everything: love, stability, and a deep respect for education. “She’d stay up late helping me with math, even though I hated it,” Brigitte recalls. “She saw something in me that I didn’t.”

Carine IDANI, a Mastercard Foundation Scholar in the inaugural AIMS Co-Op Master’s in Mathematical Epidemiology, is transforming her lived experience with sickle cell anaemia into a data-driven mission to improve health outcomes for underrepresented communities across Africa. When Carine IDANI left her home in Benin to join the African Institute for Mathematical Sciences (AIMS) in Rwanda, she brought with her more than dreams of academic excellence. She carried the invisible weight of chronic illness, a quiet resilience built over years of silent endurance, and a heart set on using mathematics to make life better for others like her. Now 25, Carine is part of the inaugural Co-Op Master’s cohort in Mathematical Epidemiology, a practice-oriented program delivered by AIMS Research and Innovation Centre (AIMS RIC), AIMS Rwanda, and AIMS Cameroon in partnership with the Mastercard Foundation and the Africa Health Collaborative. The programme combines rigorous academic training with work-integrated learning, offering students structured internships where they apply classroom knowledge to real-world health challenges. Carine recently began her internship phase, where her skills are being tested and refined in real-time. But her journey did not start in a lecture hall. It began with pain.

Gesesew Reta Habtie is an astrophysics researcher from Ethiopia specializing in the study of novae and stellar phenomena. He conducts observational and theoretical research on classical novae, applying photo-ionization and spectral modelling techniques to understand properties such as temperature, luminosity, and accretion processes in binary star systems. His work has been presented at international forums such as the BRICS Astronomy Working Group and published in peer-reviewed journals like Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society.

In a secondary school classroom in Rwanda, Gisa Murera was teaching physics by day while quietly imagining a larger role for himself in the future of African science. He understood equations, but he wanted to influence systems. He believed mathematics could transform agriculture, finance, and climate resilience, yet he had not been given the tools or platform to act at that scale. A graduate at the University of Rwanda College of Education, Gisa encountered what he would later define as a life-changing opportunity. In 2017, driven by a desire for mentorship that would expand his thinking, Gisa began his master’s studies at the AIMS Cooperative Education Program, with the support of the Mastercard Foundation Scholars Program. “Immediately, I understood I was stepping into a different academic environment,” Gisa noted, “The intensity of the curriculum, the immersive learning model, and engagement with world class scientists exceeded what I thought possible.” For the first time, he began to see himself not just as a teacher or student, but as a problem solver capable of driving innovation. He became determined to ensure that Rwanda and Africa would not lag behind in this knowledge driven era.

Gladys Muthoni Kamau is an alumna of the AIMS Rwanda Centre class 2019/2021 taking the AIMS MSc. in Mathematical Sciences, Mastercard Foundation Scholars Program, the Cooperative Program. Gladys opted for the Co-op trajectory focusing on its 6-months internship track. The desire to apply theoretical knowledge practically was too alluring to her.

James is a dynamic problem solver with excellent communication skills. After obtaining a Master’s in Pure Mathematics at the University of Buea, James joined AIMS- Cameroon to explore the applications of Mathematics in solving real-world problems. This long-standing desire to use tools and techniques from Mathematics in problems of Finance and Insurance was realized at AIMS where James was offered a series of foundational courses in Stochastic Analysis and Finance. He later undertook a research project on Weather derivatives and has since submitted the ensuing paper for publication. Whilst at AIMS, James took up another in-house opportunity to obtain a post-graduate certificate in Business Management from the European School of Management and Technology (ESMT-Berlin) within the AIMS- ESMT IIP. The program, James says, prepared him for the business world and gave him adequate tools to find his way through a crowded market place. Prior to AIMS, James explored a passion for leadership and community development through engagements at the University of Buea Mathematics student union, where he served as secretary-general. AIMS, according to James, fortified these skills and experience through the opportunity to serve as the student representative of the sixth cohort at AIMS-Cameroon. He later went on to work as a software developer for the fintech startup WaZaHub in Buea before leaving to join AIMS-Cameroon again, where he supported teaching and coordinating the center’s industry initiative.