Nikhita Madhanpall is a DARA Big Data Fellow at the Office of Astronomy for Development in Cape Town, South Africa. In partnership with DARA (Development in Africa with Radio Astronomy) Big Data, she leads a hackathon programme which aims to provide increased exposure to data science and machine learning techniques in Africa. This involves both the development of hackathon projects (and the related resources) focused on real-world problems, as well as implementing data science development hackathons across Africa. The overall the aim is to broaden the study/work opportunities of postgraduates and young professionals in STEM fields, and thus positively impact socio-economic development.

She previously worked as an RFI Scientist at SARAO and completed her PhD in Cosmology and Extragalactic Astronomy at the University of the Western Cape.

Nikhita is passionate about programming and data science skills development, the empowerment of women in data science and STEM fields and science communication.